In about six weeks, the Community Food Initiatives and the city of Athens will begin planting apple, cherry, peach and pear trees to combat hunger.
Within the next four years, the trees - as well as blueberry, currant, mulberry and gooseberry bushes - will begin to produce fruit that anyone can eat, said Ronda Clark, executive director of the Community Food Initiatives.
The Community Food Initiatives is a small non-profit organization that focuses on food in Appalachian Ohio, according to its website.
We want to give people food security
access to fresh fruit and vegetables to fight hunger and get people back in touch with real food Clark said.
Ron Lucas, assistant service-safety director of Athens and a certified arborist, helped members of the Initiatives present their idea to the city.
They approached me with the project
and I thought it was a very positive thing
he said. It was something very doable.
David Holben, a human and consumer sciences professor at Ohio University, received a Fulbright grant to start planting trees and berry bushes, Clark said.
The project starts with teaching and encouraging Athens citizens to plant trees and take proper care of them through workshops and other programs, Clark said.
Dick Stevens, the division director of the Hocking Athens Perry Community Action food bank, said the project will help feed the hungry in Athens County.
Anything that helps people get more food is a positive thing
especially something as wholesome and expensive as fresh fruit
he said.
Last year alone, Athens county food pantries and kitchens served more than 1.1 million pounds of food to more than 24,000 households, Stevens said.
I believe this project will have a very positive effect on Athens
he added.
Between 2005 and 2007, 52.3 percent of people in the city of Athens lived at or below the federal poverty line, and 31.6 percent of people in Athens County lived at or below the line, said Nick Claussen, community relations coordinator for Athens County Job and Family Services, citing census data. He added that the OU student population skews the data.
Though the trees might not produce fruit for four years, some might not produce at all.
It's very hit or miss with these trees
Lucas said.
All of the trees will be located on municipal land, with the exception of a few on OU property. The exact locations will be determined the first week of May. Many will be in the West Side Community Gardens. Others will be on the East side, in Highland Park, and Alexander Street Gardens, Clark said.
The city of Athens is really supporting this project
Clark said. The healthier the community is
the more people want to live here
