Grow Macon, Inc. Calls for Volunteers in Community Garden Planting Session to Address Food Insecurity in East Macon

Macon, Georgia – Grow Macon, Inc. is calling for around 20 volunteers to participate in a planting session scheduled for Saturday, December 9, beginning at 10:00 a.m. The volunteer group will engage in planting activities for nearly 20 raised garden beds located in individual apartments within the complex across from 1108 Eastview Avenue.

Charmiska Myers, founder of Grow Macon and a lifelong resident of East Macon, expressed the organization’s mission to empower individuals, particularly those in low-income communities, to grow fresh food independently. Myers highlighted the practical assistance provided during the planting session, including hands-on guidance, easy-to-use pamphlets, and a dedicated helpline for ongoing support.

The raised garden beds are an integral part of Grow Macon’s Shared Roots Initiative, an urban community garden project dedicated to addressing food insecurity, offering supervised youth activities, and promoting character development and relationship building within the community. The initiative received a $20,000 grant for the second consecutive year from the Macon Violence Prevention program through the Community Foundation of Central Georgia.

Myers envisions the new beds and the nearby community garden as transformative forces, bringing the community together and fostering relationships as they collectively pursue a common goal. She emphasized that the initiative goes beyond providing fresh produce; it serves as a catalyst for building community pride, purpose, and ownership.

The first round of plants in the raised beds will consist of cold weather crops, including collards, broccoli, cabbage, lemon grass, snapdragons, Swiss chard, mustard greens, pansies, cilantro, and parsley. All plants were procured from the horticultural and agricultural departments at Northeast High School and Appling Middle School.

Myers believes that a strong and united community is key to reducing violent crime and creating a brighter future for East Macon.

For more information about the community garden and volunteering opportunities with Grow Macon, please contact Charmiska Myers at growmaconnpo@gmail.com or call 478-216-8447.

About Grow Macon, Inc.

Grow Macon, Inc. is dedicated to addressing economic, gender, and age disparities in the community through community gardening. The organization’s mission is to end food insecurity, reduce crime, educate the next generation of gardeners/farmers, and re-establish a sense of community among Eastside residents.

In its second year as a Macon Violence Prevention partner, Grow Macon has received grants through the Community Foundation of Central Georgia. This year’s program, the Shared Roots Initiative, focuses on an urban community garden project dedicated to reducing food insecurity and providing supervised youth activities.

About the Macon Violence Prevention Program

Macon Violence Prevention is an evidence-based, multifaceted program created to address public safety in Macon-Bibb County. Supported and funded by the consolidated government, the program operates under the guidance of the MVP Strategic Plan, combining data, research, and community feedback to implement proven solutions that reduce violent crime and strengthen the community over time.

In its first two years, Macon-Bibb and the Community Foundation of Central Georgia have awarded more than $1.6 million to 56 local nonprofit organizations that have identified proven or innovative solutions to reducing violent crime. Mayor Lester Miller emphasized the importance of community collaboration in achieving a safer, stronger community.