Sondra E. Z. Hines, AILT, is an adjunct professor of health & wellness and is certified to teach group fitness exercise and Zumba. Wednesday Wellness - Fitness News You Can Use is published weekly. Email: sondraezhines@yahoo.com.

Robin Emmons doesn’t mind getting her hands dirty. As founder of Sow Much Good, a local nonprofit, she helps underserved populations grow organic foods and embrace healthy lifestyles.

Emmons, a vegetarian, hails from Boston and has lived in Charlotte for 19 years. In 2008, while helping her brother who suffered from mental illness and homelessness, she realized that an agency tapped to help fell short when it came to feeding her loved one.

“He was being fed garbage,” she recalled, adding that her brother was diabetic and required a better variety of foods.

To compensate, Emmons, a long-time gardener, began donating foods from her garden to the agency. Her brother, along with others, became a beneficiary of her generosity. She later left a corporate job, and through her hobby — gardening — gave birth to Sow Much Good.

Robin Emmons, seen here in an organic garden, is founder of the nonprofit Sow Much Good. (Photo: Courtesy of Robin Emmons)

Emmons thanks her mom for planting the entrepreneurial seed.

“Mom impressed on her kids to always have something green on our plates,” she says, adding that visits to health food stores as a child peeked her early interest in growing foods.

Sow Much Good partners with landscapers, gardeners, farmers and community groups, to name a few. One such occurrence was Charlotte’s first-ever National Food Day, an event to teach aspiring gardeners how to grow food, held October 2011 at the Bette Rae Thomas Recreation Center in West Charlotte.

Leveraging these partnerships, SMG holds workshops, led by nutritionists, growers, master gardeners and food advocacy experts, to help others grow gardens.

One of her organization's goals is to assist local residents who live in “food deserts” — areas devoid of grocery stores. A UNC Charlotte survey put that number at an estimated 72,000 people. With no available grocery stores, these families often rely on fast-food and corner stores, where healthy foods are scarce.

Qcitymetro recently spoke to Emmons about the mission of Sow Much Good. Her answers below have been edited for brevity.

Qcitymetro: How does SMG connect with the community?

Robin Emmons: The organization provides access to local, organic food sources to low-income and fragile populations. We do so through education initiatives. We strongly believe every person has a right to clean, healthy foods, regardless of socio-economic status or geographic location, i.e. the zip code you live in.

Why is SMG needed?

To fill the void in our local food system. As grocers have fled or never considered locating in these communities, individuals in neighborhoods without access to fresh, local foods lead the health indices in every category of lifestyle-related diseases. The groups disproportionately represented because they live in urban food desert communities are ethnic people and people of color.

How is SMG funded?

We receive support from corporate foundations, individuals, grants and our annual fund development campaign. One hundred percent of our funding currently goes directly to programming and direct services to the community. We are recognized as a charitable entity under section 501(c)(3) of the IRS code.

How can the Qcitymetro readers support SMG?

Volunteer, become a sponsor, utilize employers’ matching gifts, make a tax-deductible donation, become a Sow Much Good member and, of course, spread the word about who we are. With more talent, more people, and more resources, we can Sow Much More Good in the community for all.

In 2011, SMG held six workshops that focused on growing organic gardens. For more information or to have Emmons work with your community group or organization, visit www.SowMuchGood.org.

Until, next time, I wish you good health and wellness!

Sign up for our Weekly Email Newsletter Email: For Email Marketing you can trust

Other Ways to Share Twitter Del.icio.us MySpace

Discussions and Submission Agreement