Dig In Yancey Community Garden

Garden that Gives: Dig In! Community Garden grew food at 4 organic gardens totaling 4 acres in Yancey County, NC. All of the produce was donated to distribution and educational programs addressing food insecurity in Yancey County. In 2023, over 10,000 pounds of produce were harvested and shared from the Dig In! Gardens. The Dig In! gardens were tended by 2 staff member, 1 apprentice, 1 intern, and over 60 volunteers who attended weekly work days. DigIn! prioritizes growing crops that are nutritionally dense, culturally appropriate, and suited to the Southern Appalachian Mountain climate.

Learn + Teach: Dig In! provided hands-on educational programming to over 70 individual volunteers between April and December 2023 through its weekly Work Together volunteer days. We sponsored 6 workshops about growing and preserving food. Further, we mentored two farmers-in-training through an apprenticeship and internship.

Food for All: The Food For All programs, in cooperation with our community partners, address food insecurity by distributing high quality fresh produce to residents of Yancey County at no charge. From June to November 2023, Dig In! supplied pre-packaged shares to an average of 222 households through our weekly walk up Harvest Share markets and monthly Cosecha Para El Pueblo markets. An additional 100 households received produce through a summer delivery program available to families with school-aged children. Through the fall, 100 low-income senior households received pre-packaged shares as well. These programs were supported by 1 staff member and over 50 volunteers who helped package and distribute the produce.