Proud to Be From Pittsburgh

Proud to be from Pittsburgh: Grow Pittsburgh

For the people of Homewood, a neighborhood without a grocery store, a farm stand outside the YMCA is a welcome oasis in a food desert.

The produce cart is one of two run by the nonprofit Grow Pittsburgh and staffed by teenagers in the city's Learn and Earn summer youth employment program.

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“I think it will help the community. It will give them fresh food, you know, so they don't have all the preservatives in their food,” said Jason Bottoms, one of the teens.

Jason knows there are no preservatives, because he and his fellow workers not only sell the fruits and vegetables, but they also plant, grow and harvest the produce themselves as urban farmers-in-training.

Jake Seltman, of Grow Pittsburgh, invited WPXI to their garden in Homewood.

It is one of three they cultivate in the city.

“At Grow Pittsburgh our mission is to teach people to grow food and promote the benefits that gardens bring to our neighborhoods,” he said.

“I never saw a garden like this before and I learned a lot of stuff, like what different plants are and how to grow them,” said Robert Lee Poindexter Jr., a farmer-in-training. “I was thinking about starting my own garden at my house.”

For now Poindexter and the rest of the farmers are putting food in the houses of those who need it most and are enjoying the fruits of their labor.

“One of the most magical things for them is that this program, they understand that their work is meaningful,” said Seltman.

To learn more about Grow Pittsburgh or want to start a garden yourself, CLICK HERE.