DANVILLE, Va. – A Danville man is using his gardening skills to help feed people in need.
For a second year, Ronald Pridgen and about 15 kids are maintaining a community garden.
"The overall goal in the beginning was to just do a flower garden, but then people started talking about, 'Hey, let's grow some vegetables,'" Pridgen said. "Out of that, it became a flower and vegetable garden. What we did was, we used the flowers as a deterrent of deer."
Fruits and vegetables are being grown.
"This year, we're going to be planting Silver Queen corn, Blue Lake string beans, butter beans, pole beans, cucumber, watermelon, ocrea, zucchini, squash, a variety of tomatoes, a variety of bell peppers, blacked eyed peas," Pridgen said.
Pridgen uses the garden to teach kids how to grow and the importance of growing their own food.
The kids will maintain the garden and then harvest the crops, keeping some for themselves and giving the rest to people in need.
"Times can become very hard and difficult because of the economical situation. We learned how to grow our own food back in the day. That's a tool that these children need to have," Pridgen said.
His son, Jordan Pridgen, is helping out in the garden.
"It makes me feel good knowing that I can just come out here and help and still get some vegetables for other people," Jordan said.
Pridgen hopes the garden will inspire people to create more community gardens around Danville.