In a garden that grows upon a ribbon of old family farmland in the mountains of Ashe County, dreams are harvested alongside vegetables.
The garden is a vision nurtured by Dr. Amanda Stroud, a member of the ECU School of Dental Medicineâs inaugural Class of 2015 and dental director for AppHealthCare in northwestern North Carolina. Even during her dental school days, Stroud had a clear image in her mindâs eye of a dental office that would provide oral health care â and so much more â for its community.
Stroud wanted to address the food insecurity she witnessed in some of her dental patients and local families. With the help of partnerships, resources, energy and patience, she created the AppHealthCare Community Dental Garden, which this year yielded 360 pounds of produce and gave 70 families access to healthy food.