Palacio Podcast
Replay: Organic Harvest Gardens: Feeding People. Building Community.
Organic Harvest Gardens in North Long Beach is a pleasant surprise when you visit it. Tucked behind two apartment buildings off of Atlantic Avenue and up against the 91 Freeway, organic fresh crops are taking root and sprouting hope.
PalacioMagazine.com and the Long Beach Center for Economic Inclusion (LBCEI) have partnered to produce a series of video stories on LBCEI’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
LBCEI partnered with Organic Harvest Gardens (OHG) to provide delivery of fresh, local, organic produce to over 300 homebound seniors. The following video features OHG co-founder Rod Dodd and was produced in partnership with Antonio Ruiz of PalacioMagazine.com
More on Organic Harvest Gardens
(From their website: organicharvestgardens.com)
“At Organic Harvest Gardens, we are two University of California Certified Master Gardeners, who head up a team of committed and passionate organic vegetable gardeners, farmers and general landscapers. With over 25 years of collective experience in organic vegetable gardening and landscaping, you can rest assure that you are in capable and professional hands.
Rod, Master Gardener and our Director of Farm/Garden Design. Rod is a retired Staff Research Associate/Animal Resource Manager for USC, UCLA and the Veterans Administration. He is also a trained world traveled professional Chef, specializing in all types of cuisine, with an emphasis on Organic cooking.
Adam, a highly-skilled Master Gardener, has an extensive background in horticulture, garden centers, retail nurseries, and private/commercial estates. He is a Certified Irrigation Repair Technician from Irrigator Technical Training School, as well as, the Long Beach Chapter President.
We, at Organic Harvest Gardens, are zealous and dedicated in assisting you in your desire to live a greener lifestyle. We make it our priority to hold every client in high esteem, from the smallest to the largest. It is our goal to design, build, and maintain the garden that you deserve, from handcrafted garden beds to the very best nutritional and flavor-packed veggies you could never purchase from the grocery store.”
More on the Long Beach Center for Economic Inclusion
(From their latest newsletter)
LBCEI was started earlier this year as a result of the ‘Everyone In’ initiative to build economic equity in Long Beach. The organization was founded in March and quickly went into action when the pandemic hit – directing over $250K in funding to support the community in need in the areas of Small Business Support, Food Security, Housing Support and Economic Resiliency. Highlights of our work the last 6 months includes:
- Establishing a network of 9 Food Pantries that serve over 1,000 residents a week
- Delivering fresh, organic local produce to over 300 homebound seniors
- Providing 100 new laptops to LBCC students from North and West Long Beach
- Providing 100 laptops to students in YMCA Early Childhood and Youth Institute programs
- Supporting over 150 small businesses in North and Central Long Beach with coaching, advising, and technical support
- Supporting over 60 barbershops/salons in North Long Beach with a coach, advising, and technical support
- Setting up a call center to provide 1-on-1 housing counseling to Long Beach residents
- Hosting a series of forums around equity and COVID-19
For more information on the Long Beach Center for Economic Inclusion, visit lbcei.org.
