Our first day in Flint was all about making the rain barrels and meeting some of the people who needed them, but today was more about seeing what the non profit Edible Flint is all about. When I first met some of the members I thought they were just out of towners like us trying to make a difference, but I learned today that they weren’t. Most of them had lived in Flint for their whole lives. When I found that out it really shocked me to see the residents of Flint doing whatever they could to help their family, friends, and neighbors. When one of the members, Alex, took us to the demonstration garden I was amazed. It was made out of the simplest of things but it had two extremely important purposes, teaching people how to garden with little to no supplies and providing the vegetables that do come out of the garden to the citizens of Flint. The people of Edible Flint were just some citizens who saw a problem and took action. Whether it be cleaning up a park or installing and delivering water barrels to people who can’t do it themselves, they took initiative to help save a place they love, and that is truly inspiring.
– Sam Soto