Once known as "The Garden City of the South," Acres Homes was built on self-sufficiency, a place where Black families could own land, raise livestock, and grow enough vegetables to feed entire blocks from their backyard gardens. It was a community rooted in hard work, generosity, and pride.
But as the city expanded, many of those open fields disappeared. Today, fresh produce can be hard to come by. CC Brooks, a lifelong resident of Acres Homes, has found a way to bring that farming spirit back, not with plows and soil, but through water, light, and innovation.
"If you're in an environment and you notice something is not working, you have two choices. You can complain about it or you can do something about it," Brooks said. Here in the heart of the community, the Metallic Sunflower Foundation is rewriting what food access looks like with hydroponic farming, giving neighbors access to fresh, healthy food just steps from home.
"If the closest place is anywhere from five to twelve miles away… you can just come here and get what you need," Brooks explained. Brooks grows everything from seed, cutting out the middleman and lowering prices at the local farmer's market.
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