With the support of Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust and MDC, Beaufort County Community College will be providing Beaufort County with healthy cooking classes and community gardens, as well as extending its Beau-Fitt program.

BCCC hired Bill Booth, the director of Alpha Life and Mother Earth Farm, to assist community groups, youth groups, schools and churches with starting community gardens.

Booth has many years’ experience as a community organizer and will help groups coordinate activities and build gardens. Through his farm, he has been exposing youth to farm life who are otherwise disconnected from their food. Booth has visionary plans of getting people in the county excited about healthy eating and healthy cooking, “like they used to,” in his words.

The City of Washington provided access to 35 plots for community gardens. These are vacant lots, which often cannot be developed because they are in the floodplain.

Since elderly people in rural areas are unable to participate in these urban plots, Booth will go out to private residences to set up some of the gardens. So far, he has three residents lined up for gardens.

Some of the plots will help veterans continue to supplement their income with small- scale produce businesses. These businesses are a crucial way for the veterans to support themselves and provide healthy food to their neighbors, but many of them can no longer manage their plots due to declining health.

“I see a lot of positive things from this, especially with the youth,” Booth said. Booth was inspired after taking an organic gardening course taught by agribusiness instructor Billy Askew at BCCC. He has raised rabbits for food on his farm, but was surprised to find that their droppings are prized as fertilizer. After taking the class, he got excited about grilling broccoli and eating more vegetables. He hopes to get more youth to try out eating new vegetables.

“We’ve got 14-year-olds who weigh 180 pounds because of fast food. Seventy-two percent of Beaufort County residents are either overweight or obese. I hope that through this process we can get them to change their thinking,” he said. While their grandparents may have farmed, mechanization has reduced the number of families that directly grow food. Younger generations are not exposed to farm life.

He plans to involve Future Farmers of America students to help set up these plots. He will also work with 4-H and the Master Gardeners Club. The project is not just about growing vegetables. Youth will also learn about life sciences and be exposed to innovations in agribusiness.

The college recently constructed a culinary lab in the Continuing Education building that will house healthy cooking classes for area residents. Clay Carter, director of personal enrichment, is working with two chefs who will teach participants to prepare and cook healthy meals. Booth hopes that the greenhouse on campus and the garden plots around town can supply the culinary program with fresh produce.

“This program brings the farm-to-table concept that has been successful in urban places to Beaufort County,” said BCCC grant writer Julie Crippen. “Community members will have a chance to get their hands in the dirt, learn about their food and eat better.”

While Beaufort County has a large agricultural sector, these large farms grow food to supply industrial operations. The availability of cheap and convenient, but nutritionally poor, foods also means that many residents have an easier time accessing junk food than they do fresh produce.

With heart disease being the No. 1 killer of Beaufort County residents, this grant brings resources that will combat that trend. Based on a Beaufort County Health Department survey, residents are concerned about their health and want help learning how to eat healthier. They would like to know what to grow to eat. Gardens already in existence such as Ruby’s Garden at Asbury Church and Raised in the Barn Farm are partners in the effort and will continue to work with the college to offer more options to seniors and youth. Groups are responsible for maintaining their plot for a year.

Booth recommends that those who are interested in getting a plot start out by helping on another plot, so they can get the skills needed to maintain their own garden.

Community members can sign up for the cooking classes by calling Clay Carter at 252-940-6357. Any group interested in starting a community garden may contact Bill Booth at 252-945-5355 or 252-940-6486.