INDIANAPOLIS — A local initiative called Plant to Plate Project has been working to increase access to food on the east side of Indianapolis and now it's planning to expand even more.
The east side community is the biggest reason Autumn Lowry joined pastor Denell Howard to start the Plant to Plate project in 2015 outside of Howard’s church on Hovey Street.
It's since expanded to a seven-acre lot in the Avondale meadows neighborhood.
"So, we spent a couple years strategizing and putting together a plan for the northeast corridors food eco-system and its really allowed a lot of the growers out here to develop their farm," said Autumn Lowry with Plant Plate Project who's also the owner of From the Ground Up Foods.
The urban farm is home to a variety of fresh produce.
"We grow a lot of common vegetables, but we also like to grow a diverse set of heirloom vegetables, traditional African vegetables, Jamaican vegetable(s)…we do a lot of squash and I like to do a lot of herbs," Lowry said.
Fresh food options are essential for a community that has less than a handful of grocery stores only most recently adding Indy Fresh market in September 2023.
"Being from Mississippi we're used to people eating vegetables grown on the side of their house, so we wanted to do the same thing and to allow our children, our youth and or seniors to have fun growing their own vegetables,” said Howard.
The project hopes that growth will go hand in hand with educating younger generations.
"We would teach them how to grow their own food, how to use sustainable methods to build up a garden and just different ways we can be more self-sufficient,” Lowry said.
Plant to plate is also looking to do some building of its own to provide even more resources to the community.
"We're hoping to expand, that's what the plan is this year,” said Lowry. "We're hoping to also, all the farmers get our food on the grocery store shelves eventually too."
The urban garden located at a former IPS School at 3202 E 42nd Street also offers a free community food pantry and partners with other organizations to deliver fresh food kits to homebound residents.
Learn more about Plant to Plate Project.
