BUFFALO, N.Y. — Dwight Lowe admits he suffered from depression growing up on Buffalo's east side, but then he found gardening gave him a purpose.
"Just getting my hands in the soil, taking care of something. The watering, seeding, the quietness, the calmness. It made me feel good. I said, 'You know what? If it helped me, I'm sure it could help someone else.'"
So in 2020 he started the non-profit organization Home Beneath Our Feet. The group created a sensory garden on Ellicott Street with a memorial space after the 5/14 mass shooting. Kids in their afterschool and summer programs, along with volunteers and neighbors, take care of it.
"As a people, we are resilient, you know, and we never want to let what someone meant to tear a community down actually succeed in that way. So we found a way to kind of help bring some cheer, some gladness to the community, and help build us back up," said Averill Dove, board president of Home Beneath Our Feet.
Dwight's passion for the garden in the city, has now grown to a farm in East Aurora.
On an acre of private land generously donated by Hospice Buffalo CEO Dr. Chris Kerr, Lowe and farm director Jesse Napierala have created an agroforestry system.
They're growing fruit trees, strawberries, kale, lettuce, herbs, and a huge variety of vegetables. Volunteers and children tend the land.
"It's truly fulfilling work. Because I do believe that the future does lie with our children, and I feel like we skipped a generation of learning all these important skills and tasks," said Napierala.
A chef then teaches the children healthy cooking with the fresh produce. All of the harvested crops are then given away for free at a farmer's market on the east side, where many families don't often have access to healthy foods.
"So our goal last Sunday was 50 families. We actually end up feeding 125," said Lowe.
The farmers market continues on July 28, August 11, August 25, September 8 and September 22 at 894 Kensington Avenue.
Through Home Beneath Our Feet, Dwight hopes to inspire others to nurture the land, so in turn they can nurture themselves.
"I teach them that the way the condition of the soil is, is the way our environment should be. It should be a good condition where we're able to grow. So we're not only growing food, we're growing minds."
Home Beneath Our Feet also offers programs in financial literacy, STEM and coding, as well as community outreach through cleanups, and diaper and hygiene product drives.
If you like to learn more or donate to support the mission of Home Beneath Our Feet, click here.