Once known as “The Garden City of the South,” Acres Homes was built on self-sufficiency, a place where Black families could own land, raise livestock, and grow enough vegetables to feed entire blocks from their backyard gardens. It was a community rooted in hard work, generosity, and pride.
But as the city expanded, many of those open fields disappeared. Today, fresh produce can be hard to come by.
Bringing back the garden spirit
CC Brooks, a lifelong resident of Acres Homes, has found a way to bring that farming spirit back, not with plows and soil, but through water, light, and innovation.
“If you’re in an environment and you notice something is not working, you have two choices. You can complain about it or you can do something about it,” Brooks said.
Here in the heart of the community, the Metallic Sunflower Foundation is rewriting what food access looks like with hydroponic farming, giving neighbors access to fresh, healthy food just steps from home.
“If the closest place is anywhere from five to twelve miles away… you can just come here and get what you need,” Brooks explained.
Affordable, fresh, and local
Brooks grows everything from seed, cutting out the middleman and lowering prices at the local farmer’s market.
“The bok choy we have—it’s four or five dollars in the grocery store. We can sell it for two or three bucks. And if you don’t have the money today, we’ve got food assistance programs,” she said.
This effort isn’t just about feeding people, it’s about healing a community.
“In this neighborhood, diabetes runs rampant. Well, I can introduce a vegetable that’ll lower your sugar, help your pancreas not work as hard,” Brooks noted.
Community response has been overwhelmingly positive:
“It gives us all hope—saying without saying, we’re not waiting for you to bring us what we need. We created it for ourselves,” said resident Sheba Roy.“It really is becoming a movement and it’s remarkable and so inspiring.”
Growing more than greens
The rows of vibrant greens at this single hydroponic farm can feed up to two thousand people—while also teaching the next generation how to sustain Acres Homes’ legacy of self-sufficiency.
“In 20 years, my grandson will be growing watermelon for us and spinach and basil. The hope is he’ll capture that green thumb,” said LaTisha Grant.
Andy Cerota asked Brooks why everything at the farm is so vibrant and healthy:
“A big part of the reason… is the love that you give,” Brooks replied. “I do. I’m here every day with them.”
Reclaiming a legacy
In Acres Homes, what’s growing isn’t just greens, it’s possibility. A chance to reclaim a legacy, honor tradition, and grow a new kind of garden for generations to come.