Commissioner Garcia digs gardens at Northeast Center

COMMISSIONER GARCIA confers with some of the senior gardeners that will use the community planting beds at the Northeast Community Center on Bentley.


Community Garden to foster ACHIEVE for Seniors and Youth

Pct. 2 Commissioner Sylvia Garcia held a ribbon cutting at the new Community Garden, at the Northeast Community Center on Bentley last Friday, Sept. 18th. Present at the ceremony were seniors and young children that are participating in this ‘Garden Project”, part of a nationwide movement by ACHIEVE to foster healthy eating and lifestyles.

ACHIEVE stands for Action Communities for Health, Innovation & Environmental Change and is sponsored nationally by the YMCA. As part of the emphasis on good health, Harris County Health Director Dr. Palacia was on hand for the opening, as well as YMCA officials including Mariana Rodriguez and some of the children from their ACHIEVE project.

In her opening remarks, Garcia thanked those who had participated and helped in the project, including Master Gardener Lewis Mickler, Joe Dow of Dow Fence Company, Mike Harrison, and Pct. 2 staff Helen Timms, Lisa May, Debbie Copeland and many others.

The garden beds will be used to plant healthy crops of vegetables and fruits, she said, and emphasized the point by planting the first tomato plants with the help of several children. “I was raised on a farm,” she noted, “so I like this activity.”

Also related to her ideas for a better quality of life for everyone, she noted, is the Boys & Girls Club in the NFL YET Center, next door at the Driver Center, and a Health & Wellness Clinic run at the community center.