The project, called an “environmental justice incubator,” is working with historically Black communities on Norfolk’s Southside.
On a cold winter morning outside the Berkley Community Center in Norfolk, Jay Boone is bundled up and ready to work, watering rows of plants in raised wooden garden beds.
“We have about three different types of collards out here,” Boone said. “We have cabbage, we have brussels sprouts, broccoli, kale, a lot of the green leafy vegetables.”
Boone, who lives in Berkley, spearheaded this community garden as head of a local organization called Keeping Us Secure and Prosperous, or KUSP. She said she started it after seeing a need for community-building and fresh produce options.