A nice cool breeze and the sound of volunteers hard at work filled the air next to City Sprouts, a quiet house and community gardens nestled in North Omaha.

Inside, a man looks over the selection of tomatoes left over from the Farmer’s Market earlier in the day. City Sprouts director, Roxanne Williams, greets him with a smile and listens intently as he explains he is looking to add some produce to a salsa recipe for a competition later that night.

This typical interchange is a huge part of the Sprouts’ mission, of building community and providing fresh produce for the surrounding neighborhood. Located in a “food desert,” Williams explained, City Sprouts is the only fresh produce option within a mile of walking distance to many of the residents in its North Omaha neighborhood.

“We provide affordable fresh produce for many people who struggle with health issues,” Williams said. “A lot of people don’t grow up

with fresh food and someone needs to introduce it and make it available.”

Part of what makes City Sprouts so unique among non-profits is its produce is even donated to other organizations such as Salvation Army, Project Hope and Open Door Mission.

City Sprouts goes beyond produce however, also becoming a center for life skills and employment for high school students over the summer. Every summer, Sprouts hires 10 local students who work closely with farm manager, John Huebscher. A gardener his whole life, Huebscher acknowledges the importance of having fresh produce available.

“Knowing what it’s like myself to have fresh quality food available, it’s nice to give to others to reap the benefit of all the work,” Huebscher said.

The students he works with are taught skills such as the importance of hard work and earning a paycheck (if meeting all the work requirements), appropriate work dress, applying and interviewing for jobs and building résumés.

One of the summer employees, North High School senior Ann Brovold, was hard at work picking peppers from one of the many raised beds throughout the gardens.

Brovold found her way to City Sprouts through the Avenue Scholars program, and hasn’t looked back. A typical day has her outdoors weeding, picking and planting produce, and feeding the eight different

varieties of chickens. City Sprouts has even inspired Brovold to plant a garden of her own at her house, making a plan a reality.

“I’ve learned a lot more about the different plants and produce, and can take care of a lot of things like tomatoes, cucumbers, broccoli, spinach, carrots and onions,” Brovold said.

City Sprouts maintains a strong

relationship with the Creighton community as well. Originally asked to set up a booth at the CCSJ Volunteer Fair, Sprouts now has two Cortina groups volunteering every weekend, who according to Williams are “dedicated and willing to do anything I ask them.” When their greenhouses at Lauritzen Gardens were under construction, Creighton stepped in and offered space in their greenhouses for City

Sprout’s seedlings.

Dedicated to the community, City Sprouts

continues to educate and brighten up the surrounding neighborhood. Never short on enthusiasm and passion, Sprouts is eager to teach and pass on expertise in gardening, while offering good wholesome food and fellowship that is always right around the corner.