Inside a South King County greenhouse grows a cure: raw, organic vegetables sown and reaped by the hands of low-income and immigrant families.
Vegetables that may even save a life.
“As an African, the blood know, you connect more deeply with the soil,” said community farmer Dixon Njeri. “It matters. Yes.”
It does, because the food goes straight into their communities. Farm to table. Health and fellowship.
“We are producing food here, organic and fresh, and then we are distributing it in food hub like a food bank,” said Nisar Omari.
Omari, who has a postgraduate degree in agriculture, manages the greenhouse run by the non-profit group Living Well Kent. It provides this pricey organic produce for free to thousands each year.
“It’s so difficult, you know, they can’t find fresh food even if you go to Renton and Costco there are frozen foods and there’s nothing fresh like here,” said Omari.
The program isn’t just about physical health, it improves mental health, too.
“Most of our community works in health industry where they’re indoors. Working in hospitals, nursing homes,” said Dixon Njeri.
He’s with Wakulima USA, another nonprofit farming for the community.
And that community can have difficulty adapting to the cold, rainy Northwest climate.
“So they’re not able to adapt where they’re able to access the sunshine out — and the soil. So they end up having some, also, issue of mental health issue like depression,” he said.
But Njeri said they find solace in the bright, hot greenhouses where some even grow hard-to-find foods from overseas.
Even so, the most valuable seed planted there is hope.
“And you feel good because you see life, you start seed from when it was a seed. You watered it, you see blossom and then you see life. So then one gives you peace in yourself knowing you are doing something positive,” said Njeri.
And center stage at Living Well Kent’s food hub is produce from the farm. Ahmed Farah is the food access manager.
“We try to bridge the gap of food inequity that’s going on all over the world and we try to make this a food hub and not a food bank,” said Farah. “It makes them feel more connected to us. Because we don’t want them to just feel like they can get any kind of food but food that they know, that I know that they’re going to make. You know what I mean?”
The farmers also work eight acres of land Living Well Kent shares with Wakulima USA.
“Oh, this is therapy for me. It’s so therapeutic. I love it,” said Living Well Kent’s Maura Kizito.
Kizito, who is getting kids to farm, is pure sunshine.
“This gives me a sense of giving back to the community. And it’s also, like I said, therapeutic. I enjoy it. And it’s just food. I love food,” said Kizito.
“All this food I made today is from our, like, culture and our community,” said Nidhal Kadhim, farmer and beneficiary of the Living Well Kent program.
And when that food hits the table…
“When you grow food and eat that, it’s worth it. Sometimes it’s (a) hard time but it’s worth (it) when you get fresh food, organic and healthy,” said Kadhim. “My health is better and my family, same thing.”
I’m told there are 16 farmers in the program this year. That number will grow, as the fruit they farm will never spoil.
“Food — it’s a language which you can connect with a lot of diverse community because food has no boundary. It’s like music. It’s where (you) connect, it’s where you fellowship people,” said Njeri.
Summer’s sweltering heat has arrived in full force, which means it’s time to ice down the drinks, crank up the AC, and throw on some threads that maximize the chill — even if it means boldly daring to rock a pair of denim cut-offs. Jeans shorts (let’s just cut the formality and call ‘em jorts) may often be considered among the world’s worst fashion faux pas, but that’s no reason to flinch: If jorts have been cool enough for John Cena for the past 20 years, then they’re probably cool enough for y
A Topeka City Council committee, which put forth seven recommendations about steps Topeka police should take, hear public comments about them Friday.
We have another strange summer in prospect. After two frustrating years of stop-start travel, there has been a surge in peak season bookings – many by people who haven’t travelled since 2019 and are desperate for some Mediterranean sun.
After battling suicidal thoughts, prioritizing mental health by walking helped Juan Martinez lose 50 pounds, relieve chest pain and lower blood-sugar levels.
Ohio children's mental health is in crisis, a result of the pandemic. Shannon Jones, Nick Lashutka and Lisa A. Gray discuss how to improve the problem.
Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY SportsThis is not Debra Porta’s first time at the Pride-organizing rodeo. She has been involved with Pride Northwest, which oversees the Portland Pride Parade and Festival, taking place this weekend, since 2006, serving as Board President (2007-2015) and since 2017 as Executive Director.“People don’t realize how often Pride festivities and events are threatened in some way, and so nothing surprises me any more,” Porta told The Daily Beast, referring to the events of la
Ukraine can and should host the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Saturday, after the organisers said they were in talks to hold it in Britain instead due to the war. While decades-long tradition dictates that the winner of the contest gets to host it the following year, organisers said the security guarantees required to hold the competition in Ukraine meant discussions would be held with the runner up, Britain. "Of course I would love it to be in this country but the fact is they won and they deserve to have it and I believe they can have it and I believe that they should have it," Johnson told reporters on arrival back in Britain after a visit to Kyiv.
Though the United States appears to be coming out of the worst of the pandemic, COVID-19 isn't going away any time soon. And there remains the continued risk of another surge as more states relax...
You can rely on these quick, healthy recipes for something delicious on any night of the week. From soup and salad to saucy pasta and sizzling fajitas, these 30-minute dinners will have something for you. Plus, each meal sticks to heart-healthy levels of saturated fat and sodium and focuses on complex carbs, like whole grains, so you know it can fit seamlessly into a diabetes-friendly routine.
"It's everywhere in America — but still illegal in Germany and most other European countries."View Entire Post ›
From basics like milk, eggs, and bread to personal favorites like Greek yogurt and noodles, there are lots of things I stock up on for just myself.
My husband and I have birthdays this summer so naturally my thoughts drift toward healthy aging. We tackle the external signs of aging with lotions, dyes, and hairstyles.
Fayette County remains at both a high transmission level and high COVID-19 community level, according to the latest update from the federal health agency. Here’s where the rest of the state stands.
For the second year in a row, Iowa has claimed victory against New York in one of the beefiest competitions.
Tiny morsels of coconut shrimp lodged in my throat and wouldn’t budge. My eyes grew wide. I drank water fast, desperate to get the food down — the liquid shot up my nose. My heart beat faster. Should I rush to an emergency room in a foreign country? I was away in Turks and Caicos in late April. Since losing my Cuban immigrant parents and ending a seven-year relationship, traveling has become even more cathartic, and visiting beach countries is especially peaceful. But until this spring, I’d neve
Here's how to know if you are at risk of Long COVID following an infection and specific lingering symptoms that you should discuss with your doctor.
Keri North exercised, lost 105 pounds. The extra weight may have been preventing her from feeling a tumor in her breast. She felt the lump after losing weight.
Experts break down the best practices when it comes to dealing with earwax.
Your favorite childhood drink is all grown up.
Virginia Department of Health shifts from pandemic to endemic protocols for COVID-19.