It seems that no matter how good a cause is, there are individuals who would like to see it burn. The bountiful Clair Community Garden in North Omaha, Nebraska, was vandalized less than 24 hours after celebrating a new grant. Nearly every plant was destroyed. Pastor Portia Cavitt walked into the scene on Friday morning, according to KMTV 3 News Now, and took note of the damage. She later reviewed security camera footage and saw someone moving through the garden with a flashlight.
The watermelons the community’s kids had been growing took most of the damage. Cavitt said the plants were picked and pulled up. The smaller watermelons haven’t been found. It’s believed that whoever came through may have carried them off. She said the children had watched over the plants every day and were devastated by the damage, describing herself as shaken and upset by the situation.
The garden’s grant had arrived days earlier. CHI awarded the community $46,000 to expand its nutrition education and health work, which it runs alongside North Omaha Area Health and the North Free Clinic. None of that money can go toward replacing what was destroyed, according to Cavitt. That leaves the nonprofit without a clear route to recovering the plants.
Cavitt said the loss reaches past the garden to the surrounding neighborhood. She said the group intends to replant and keep going regardless. She is asking anyone with information that could identify whoever is responsible, or help protect the garden, to call (402) 451-8322.
What the Garden Provides in North Omaha
The garden hands out produce free at the church to families facing rising grocery prices, and Cavitt keeps a separate pantry stocked with donated store-bought food for people who come to her from outside the food bank, KMTV reported in June. Children in the program pull the weeds and watch the vegetables come in, then learn to cook what they grew, with Cavitt showing them several ways to prepare each one. Children in the program have said they are not getting that instruction at school.
The children planted zucchini they plan to bake into goods and sell, which turns the plot into a lesson in running a small business from growing through to profit. The $46,000 grant was meant to extend that work by pairing the food and cooking instruction with health screenings, so families could learn their blood pressure, A1C, and cholesterol numbers at the same place.
Why the Garden Is Difficult to Protect
The property has no electrical service, so installing a security system would first mean running a line from the Omaha Public Power District. Cavitt said that is an expense the nonprofit cannot cover. That leaves the entire group searching and scrambling for answers.
Fencing would not settle it either. Cavitt said people can still come in off the parking lot, so a fence would not close the space off. She also objected on principle, asking why the garden should have to be enclosed and caged in “because other people don’t want to see progress.” The footage she reviewed showed a person moving through the garden with a flashlight, and no one has been identified.