Residents of the River West/COPC neighborhoods have consistently identified lack of access to high-quality produce as a problem in the community. Last year, residents proactively addressed this concern by establishing a community garden on the outskirts of the Preston Taylor Neighborhood. Thanks to several devoted gardeners, the River West Community Garden was a great success; lots of tomatoes, green beans, peppers, and other delicious vegetables were produced and shared with residents! Over the winter months several steps were taken to increase community involvement in the garden. Darcy Freedman, an intern with the Child and Family Policy Center and a doctoral student in the Community Research and Action program at Peabody, has worked with River West residents, TSU, and several community organizations to establish a Community Gardening Training for the community. A total of three trainings were offered in February, March, and April, and over 35 people attended the sessions. We are hopeful that many of these skills will be put to use in the River West Community Garden this summer.

In addition to gardening, the River West/COPC community will also have a produce stand in the neighborhood for ten weeks this summer. Fresh, locally-grown produce will be sold at the produce stand on Saturdays from 10am-2pm (June 17-August 19). The stand will be located on the corner of 40 th and Indiana . Please come out and support the River West Produce Stand! If you are interested in volunteering at the stand (or garden), please contact Darcy at (Darcy Freedman).

The gardening and produce stand efforts in the River West/COPC neighborhoods are serving as a pilot site for a city-wide project in Nashville. River West and VIPPS are collaborators in a recent grant to the U.S. Department of Agriculture and are also developing several other collaborative grant proposals focused on food security initiatives.