ROANOKE (WSLS 10) - It's a first of its kind for the city of Roanoke -- a food forest located along Melrose Avenue. With shovels in hand 25 volunteers wasted no time potting fruit trees that will give back to the community for years to come.
The garden sits on land owned by Goodwill and is being developed for the neighborhood. Essentially, anyone could pick fresh food and bring it back to their table. The idea is to promote healthy eating.
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"We do have a high unemployment rate here and high poverty rate and we're really trying to help people take responsibility, take up their own assets and become a really great neighborhood in Roanoke," said Frank Rogan, the Chief Development Officer at Goodwill Industries of the Valley.
The garden will take about two to five years to come into fruition.
If you're interested in planting, anyone can get involved as Goodwill is looking for more hands to help get everything in the ground.