Athens area residents can now plant their own food supply because of a seed giveaway started by a local nonprofit.
This week, the Community Food Initiative began handing out seed potato and other vegetable seeds to local residents — an annual spring event that has been going on for 15 years, said Kurt Belser, assistant community garden coordinator for the organization.
The Athens-based nonprofit will provide 14,000 pounds of seed potatoes as well as other vegetable and herb seeds, including tomatoes, peppers and basil, until supplies run out, Belser said.
“All your typical and non-typical vegetables,” he said.
The organization also began handing out nut and fruit tree seeds this spring, Belser said.
“(The giveaway) is evolving and growing over the years,” he said.
All Athens citizens and residents of surrounding counties are welcome to participate in the giveaway, according to an organization news release.
Customers can drive to pickup stations to collect seeds, said Belser, adding that there are stations in Athens, Glouster, Chauncey, Nelsonville and Mineral.
The giveaway provides customers with an economically, viable and nutritionally friendly food supply, Belser said.
The cultivation is also meant to establish food security throughout the county, according to the organization’s website.
“We live in an area that food access and food security is a day-to-day issue, and as long as that continues to be an issue, these kinds of things are really appealing,” Belser said.
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