When you drive onto the gravel road leading to the Camden Street Learning Garden, there is a welcoming environment with the greenery greeting you kindly. It is a one-acre plot that has over 10 garden beds, 20 community-raised garden beds, and a “food forest”. The community garden beds can be rented out by community members for 20 dollars per year and are meant to be managed by those members. The rest of the garden is managed by the small staff and volunteers who come three times a week.
The garden is run by the Interfaith Food Shuttle which is a nonprofit dedicated to helping fight for food justice. Its purpose is clear when you take in the surrounding neighborhood just east of downtown Raleigh. There is no local grocery store and residents have no convenient way of purchasing fresh produce–this is referred to as food apartheid. This differs from the common term food desert because it would not be impossible for a grocery store to be built in the area. There is a systemic problem instead which is why the term food apartheid is preferred in this situation. Within the community, the garden is a haven for neighbors to come and learn about gardening and sustainability for an affordable price. The staff at the garden are dedicated to creating a safe place for volunteers and gardeners to be involved and learn about the food and plants that they grow.
Over the summer, I interned at the garden as the Community Garden Intern with one other person. I was responsible for leading volunteer days and redesigning the pollinator garden that resides at the entrance. When I applied for this position, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I just thought that I could spend the summer learning about gardening and maybe get closer to a direction for my future career. However, this internship turned out to be a much bigger opportunity than I ever thought it could be. It expanded my worldview because I completely neglected to think about how difficult it is for some people to have access to fresh produce. I grew up in an area that has a ridiculous amount of grocery stores within a ten-minute drive from my house. Working in the garden helped to shift my perspective on the issue of food apartheids.
The garden is always looking for new volunteers and I would recommend to anyone in the Raleigh area to take the time to volunteer. If working in difficult outdoor conditions isn’t interesting to you, there are many other opportunities through the Interfaith Food Shuttle. However, I highly recommend volunteering at the garden and taking the time to get outside and learn more about the food injustice that plagues the Raleigh area.
To volunteer for the Interfaith Food Shuttle: https://www.foodshuttle.org/volunteer