A community garden on Erie’s east side is letting neighbors grow food together. What started as a collaborative effort at the former Burton Elementary School has become an important resource for families in a food-desert neighborhood.
When you step onto the grounds of the former Burton Elementary School, you see 65 garden plots — all created through a collaborative effort. Many of the gardeners are new Americans with strong agricultural backgrounds, bringing their own seeds and even their own tools.
“this is particularly important when the federal government is cutting their medical benefits, their food benefits, and putting pressure even on them for housing or home security”
This garden is specifically for the people who work these plots. They grow vegetables for their own households, giving them reliable access to fresh produce in a neighborhood where that can be hard to find.
Former Mayor Joe Schember and current Mayor Daria Devlin provided compost early on, but everything else comes directly from the gardeners who tend the soil.
“this food is security food because it is healthy so people need this because it is organic”
Having this space helps families manage rising food costs and gives them the ability to grow their own food while supporting their families.
I also met Abdiziz, who grows crops not only here but also at the Quality of Life Learning Center. He says both spaces allow him to stay connected to the community through the food he grows.
“we eat it we don’t pay any market or something thats why it is important to grow in the garden.”
Gardeners say this space gives them independence, stability, and a way to feed their families — strengthening food security without taking anything away from anyone else.