‘Bucket Brigade’ Fights Hunger
To paraphrase an old Chinese proverb: Give a man some vegetables and you will feed him for a day — Teach a man to grow vegetables and you will feed him for a lifetime. This is the premise behind the “Bucket Brigade,” a consortium of public and private agencies partnering with The Salvation Army to combat hunger in Onslow and Jones Counties in North Carolina. The program is operated by the North Carolina Cooperative Extension, North Carolina A&T State University, and North Carolina State University.
Onslow County Farmer’s Market is, appropriately, the venue for Bucket Brigade events, which occur four times a year — twice in the Spring and twice in the Fall.
“This is a unique program for families to grow their own portable ‘Grow Buckets,’” says Captain Christine Towne, Jacksonville corps officer. “People are thrilled to learn about growing their own vegetables, not only because of the distance between them and their nearest produce stand, but also because they can stretch their budgets in this strained economy.”
From budding young planters to seasoned master gardeners, attendees learn both the basics and finer techniques to make their gardens grow.
Jan Smith, a certified master gardener and a member of the Jacksonville Advisory Board, says, “This is what I call a ‘hybrid community garden’ — instead of coming to a central location to grow a community garden, here they are given the buckets, soil, and seeds, along with the knowledge to properly grow their own produce.”
Many low-income households do not have a big yard to grow things, she adds, but they do have a patio or a front porch where they can place their buckets in the sunlight and keep the plants properly hydrated and tended.
Everything is free for participants, thanks to a state grant given to The Salvation Army by the North Carolina Community Foundation. The grant buys the buckets and potting soil, and the seeds are donated by the Richlands Walmart.
Master gardeners are trained to do public outreach and to teach budding gardeners the basics. Cool season plants are started by White Oak High School agricultural students and FFA (Future Farmers of America) members.
“There are ‘food deserts’ where households can be from five to ten miles to the nearest grocery store for their produce,” says Jessica Gardener (aptly named!), who is the county director of the Cooperative Extension at N.C. State University. “N.C. State and N.C. A&T State University does all the research to teach to the public how to succeed as gardeners.”
“There are many benefits to growing a ‘bucket garden,’” says Emilee Morrison, consumer horticulture agent for Onslow County. “It is therapeutic, promotes socialization, improved nutrition, and is a great way to stretch the family dollar.” And it gives the gardener a wonderful sense of accomplishment, she adds. Surprisingly, plants grow much better in these buckets than in the ground.
“Gardening in Onslow County is different than other parts of the state,” Emilee explains. “Every state has land grant universities which do the research, and every county has cooperative extensions.”
It’s all about the science, and folks are catching on.
“This is an amazing opportunity, not only to make an impact in food deserts, but in the value of teaching people the skills to feed themselves with care and planning of a bountiful harvest of broccoli, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, kale, collards, etc.”
Also at these events, cooking demonstrations complete the food production cycle, deemed “From the ground to the table.”
Master gardeners and other volunteers maintain larger gardens, with harvests going directly to low-income families through the Army’s food pantry at the Jacksonville Corps. Herbs are also grown and distributed. Families may also get their buckets, soil, and seeds at the corps so they can develop their own “green thumb” for fresh produce on their table.
“About 50 families daily come through our food pantry to receive fresh produce, in addition to a food basket of canned goods and other grocery staples,” says Laura Hagerman, the social services case manager at the corps. “It’s a pretty hopping place!”
