CINCINNATI — It’s a struggle to bring fresh food to the table in a lot of urban areas in Ohio. Many lack nearby grocery stores. Lincoln Heights, a community outside of Cincinnati, is working to change that.
What You Need To Know
- Dorance Daniels started The Heights Movement along with other volunteers to bring the community together and bring fresh food to the community table
- Lincoln Heights doesn’t have a grocery store, which made it hard for residents to get fresh produce
- Daniels said the community garden is not just about the food but about the lessons residents will make growing and selling the food
- There are plans to expand the garden with a community space and hope to continue to grow the space in the future
Dorance Daniels spends a lot of time thinking about plants, pruning and watering them every single day. It’s something he takes pride in because it’s something his community needs.
Lincoln Heights doesn’t have a grocery store, which means fresh produce is not easily accessible. That is how the project started.,
“We thought, okay, how about we grow the food and then donate it to the local corner stores,” Daniels said.
Daniels along with other volunteers started The Heights Movement, to bring fresh food to residents’ tables while bringing them together.
“The main mission is teaching the residents that you can have control of your own destiny sometimes,” he said. “The village of Lincoln Heights sometimes gets a bad reputation. And our main thing is to try and control the narrative.”
Kids in the area are often at work in the garden too.
Daniels said it’s about more than just the food.
“It’s all about empowering the residents,” he said. “And allowing them and exposing them to different opportunities where they can not just eat good food but also grow their pockets as well.”
Soon, residents will have the opportunity to sell the food too.
“We’re teaching them financial literacy,” Daniels said. “You’re teaching them financial management, you’re teaching them how to garden, you’re teaching them hard work as well. So it’s just a blessing to be out here and to serve the community.”
Daniels said there are big plans for the space, including a gathering place, something that will continue to transform Lincoln Heights.
“Now we went from a place where it was a true blighted property to now,” he said. “It’ll be a true communal space where the community can thrive, eat and exchange good ideas and you know, better things will come out of it besides just food.”
