NATIONAL CITY, Calif — Each Thursday, volunteers at Olivewood Gardens in National City bag up fresh fruit and vegetables to distribute to families.
"Our goal is to inspire people in this community to be healthier. Unfortunately, National City has one of the highest rates of Type 2 diabetes in the county,” said Jen Nation, the Olivewood Gardens Executive director.
The nonprofit is growing tomatoes, peppers, pole beans, cilantro, and cucumbers to increase its food production to meet the needs of South Bay families during the coronavirus pandemic.
Their regular produce stand on Thursdays used to serve just ten families, but now Nation said they are "seeing around 60 families every week, and 75% of those are coming back every week.”
Last month, the Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center produced 1,900 pounds of produce, serving more than 450 families in National City and Chula Vista.
"We're glad that we're able to expand what we're doing, and serve more people during this time," Nation said.
Olivewood Gardens is located 2525 N Avenue.
The pick-up process is simple with a sign-in sheet for the donation-based produce stand sitting on seven acres.
Most of its recipients can walk or bike to it, and get a great recipe.
"I think it's great. Not only do they offer produce to us, they offer the education we need to use the food at home. Not a lot of people know about it, but it's definitely something that people should come check out for themselves,” said Beto Olmos, while picking up a bag of food for his grandmother.