RICHMOND, Va. -- Shovels and dirt were the common theme among strangers at Hillside Court in Southside Richmond Saturday afternoon.

“Once you get out here and start working it’s pretty fun," said Randall, one of the many volunteers. "Talk to people you don’t ever meet before you know.”

The goal of Saturday was to make the neighborhood greener by building a community garden. The initiative was led by Asia Goode, a Richmond Public Schools student and Hillside Court. resident.

Goode called her neighborhood a food desert, which is a residential area at least a mile from a grocery store.

“Geographically Hillside Court is away from the city," Goode explained. "All the access to the things that are very much needed, specifically food.”

Twelve plots of plants were built in the center of the Hillside Court community, which Goode said will serve fresh food -- unlike the nearby corner stores.

“Your chips, your honey buns and all the things that cause like health problems and don’t sustain you as a human," Goode said. “My sole focus is on this community, because this is my home.”

