PITTSBURGH — In the middle of Homewood, you can find a farm at the corner of Susquehanna and Brushton. It’s called Sankofa Village Community Farms and it’s feeding families throughout the year.
“There’s not a store in Homewood that sells produce. You can’t even buy a banana,” Vikki Ayanna Jones, the CEO and founder, told Channel 11.
Vikki Ayanna Jones and her family are trying to change that in Homewood, a community that is close to being considered a “food desert.”
“Our kids won’t accept chips, a huggie and a honey bun. They want oranges and apples. They want to come up here and learn to grow their own food,” Jones said.
Every other week, the Jones family takes fresh produce, either from Sankofa or donations from the American Heart Association, and delivers it to veterans, elderly people and disabled residents for free.
“If we don’t do it, no one else will. It’s about the community and giving back and showing the community there’s a brighter future,” Rahim Jones, the director of operations, said.
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Rahim told Channel 11, they’re delivering 2000 pounds of fresh produce every other week, and that number could increase now that we are in another COVID-19 surge.
“People really don’t want to leave the house now. We’ve already experienced the lockdown, we know what to expect. People aren’t keen in coming outside. We see that we are needed in the community,” Rahim said
If you’d like to get on the list to receive a box of produce each week, you can contact:
Rahim Jones at rahimjones7@gmail.com or Vikki Ayanna Jones at nugziayanna55@gmail.com.