MEMBER TO MEMBER Let's Get 'Ag-vocating' Mecklenburg County proves recreation has a role to play in agriculture By Stephanie Frisbee F rom gardening programs to a program that has a red barn as a logo, Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation is " ag-vocating " for the field of agriculture and the role it plays in the community. Traditional gardening programs, long offered at recreation centers to teach people how to garden, are placing a new emphasis on teaching them how to grow their own food and the benefits of doing so. learning where their food comes from, while teenagers are being given the chance to participate in an PHOTO COURTESY OF THE MECKLENBURG COUNTY PARK AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT Gardening programs are addressing topics from childhood obesity to food deserts. Preschoolers are 22 Parks & Recreation | J U N E 2 0 1 8 | W W W. PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N . O R G urban agriculture entrepreneurship program. In Mecklenburg County, agriculture is now in the field of recreation. How It All Began Prior to receiving a Meet Me at the Park grant in 2017, only a few of the county's recreation centers had gardens. Receiving the grant