Borderland couple helps thousands access fresh produce

and while you cringe at the thought of another piece of pie … others can only dream of having that problem. tonight, abc-seven’s stephanie valle introduces us to an el paso couple dedicating their lives to fighting hunger in our city: nats: opening door jerry: “these are the tomatoes tha we’re going to grow during the wintertime.” steph living in the desert hasn’t kept jerry hobson’s thumb from turning green. i grew up on the farm and we always had a garden. fresh produce was something we had growing up. nats: 2:43 cutting lettuce steph: and fresh produce is something jerry and his wife susie grow in abundance — here at el jardin de milagros — his family’s farm near la union. nats: the 3- acre farm became their calling six years ago. 12.59 we had time and a source of water — a deep well — so it seemed like someone was sending us a message that we need to do something with that and give back to the community. 13.09 with his background in engineering and hers in biology — they’re reaping tens of thousands of pounds of produce. “we have just finishe harvesting our sweet potatoes, which will finish up the summer crop. 4.21 and we’re starting our winter crop now which the spinach and swiss chard are part of that.” 4.27 steph: they grew nearly 45 tons of squash, tomatoes, onions and nearly two dozen other crops just last year. “you’ve got to be a bad gardene not to grow squash.” 10.5 “together we make a good team – couldn’t do it without volunteers.” 1.55 nat the fruits — and vegetables — of their labor end up here — at the kelly memorial food pantry in central el paso. 5.13 it’s fresher than what you’re getting in the grocery store. it’s straight from the field, through our back door and out our front door on the same day. 5.21 nats the head of the pantry says these vegetables help 25-hundred families monthly. 5.23 it’s teaching people how to eat better and they’re learning how to use vegetables that they’re not exposed to. 5.32 miracles — grown from the garden. there’s a lot of gratification and feel like we’re giving back.” “the farm and the food pantry are always looking for volunteers and donors. if you’re interested in helping, you can call jardin de milagros or the kelly memorial food pantry. we’ve posted those numbers on this story, which you can find at kvia.com. stephanie valle, abc-7.” healthy moisture on a pineapple express