Just this once, it’s OK to steal.
At least that’s the plan for Metropolitan Ministries’ food gardens.
For eight years now, the organization has built and expanded a series of raised beds around its property at 1112 McCallie Ave. – cultivating them in the middle of a food desert and encouraging everyone who needs extra vegetables on their plates to stop by and pick what they need.
It’s an unlikely spot for an urban oasis. One bed sits at the base of the adjacent building’s 25-foot brick wall and is separated from the nearby four-lane-road only by a sidewalk. But soon enough, the little spot will be overgrown.
“In 60 days or so, this will look like the Amazon,” said Rebecca Whelchel, the executive director of Metropolitan Ministries, also known as MetMin.