El Cenizo community garden feeding residents

2/27/2012 12:00:00 AM by Salo Otero

Community garden at El Cenizo's Agua Viva Lutheran Church is producing fresh greens. Master gardener Tomas Hernandez, age 82,  shows Salo Otero, STFB Marketing Director, the garden funded through a co-op program that feeds residents in the South Texas Food Bank Kids Cafes and elderly programs.

A  community garden at Mission Luterana Agua Viva Church in El Cenizo continues to grow fresh  produce and grow in size.

What started as an 11-bed  garden behind the church at 3520 Cecilia Lane almost two years ago is now  into  other lots in the rural  community south of Laredo. The goal is to have 30 beds  (growing  produce)  notes Jaime Arizpe, regional coordinator for  the Office of Border Affairs under the Texas Health and Human Services Commission.

As a member of the South Texas Food Bank (STFB)  board,  Arizpe also got the  STFB  involved.  Agua Viva Church  opened  a Kids Café  named Pan De Vida almost two years ago.  Kids Cafe provides an after school meal to needy children.  Agua Viva pastor Mariana Mendez  has used produce from the   garden  for meals  to feed the almost 100 attending Monday through Friday.

The community garden  program is coordinated by the University of Texas Pan American Rural Enterprise Development  in cooperation with the Buckner Foundation and  the Texas A&M Prairie View Co-Op Extension. The  Texas A&M International University Students  in Free Enterprise are also involved.

El Cenizo resident and former farmhand Tomas Hernandez, 82, and still going strong, has been  involved  since day one as a volunteer, bringing a wealth of experience  in the field of  produce.  Hernandez,  native of Aguascalientes, Mexico and  in  Laredo 22 years, previously worked  at La Perla Ranch near Zapata, but says he’s been growing  gardens  since age 14. Hernandez  has helped  in the community garden  planting   cabbage, lettuce,  tomatoes, cilantro, carrots and other items. “I know a little bit about it,” he beams. “By 7 a.m. I’m here ‘en fuego’ (on fire and ready to go).”

Additional planting beds are coming at a lot along the  Rio Grande.  A Home Depot  $5,000 grant that was procured for them by the South Texas Food Bank helped buy  garden beds, tools, seed and other materials. 

 During a garden  tour of South Texas Food Bank representatives,  Hernandez  pointed  to   some   new  produce  that includes  broccoli, radishes, beets, cauliflower ,  squash,  melons and chile peppers. “Esto es puro bueno (This is all good),”  he said, eyeing the greenery. Fruit  trees might also be planted soon. Arizpe notes , “The Buckner Foundation (a Dallas-based group)  has a program through its children and family services division   geared  to colonia residents  becoming more self sufficient.” The gardens are helping  feed  residents of El Cenizo  and Rio Bravo in the South Texas Food Bank Kids Café and elderly programs. Left over produce will  be sold at  the Laredo Farmers Market.

 In addition to the garden, the project  will soon have chicken coups  and chickens  which will produce  eggs.  Arizpe adds  there  are plans   to build a  bakery and tortilleria  business run by  local residents. Other Webb County  colonias  are due similar programs.

“The South Texas Food Bank  is about building co-operatives like this one with the goal of reaching our mission of feeding the hungry,”  said a food bank spokesman. “We are not just a food bank, but a non-profit looking  to better  the lifestyle  of  our  residents.”

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