Gardening For Good In Pompano, Fla.

This month we are collecting your stories about the good things Americans are doing to make their community a better place. Some of your contributions will become blog posts and the project will end with a story that weaves together submissions to make a story of Americans by Americans for Americans.

When chef Trina Spillman — trained at Le Cordon Bleu — discovered that more than one-third of the children in Broward County didn’t know where their next meal was coming from, she was shocked. So she took action.

Through her Need to Feed Gardening Initiative, Trina has planted community gardens, opened a community cafe and donated fresh produce to local food pantries. She holds Summer Hat Luncheons.

Now, she has a mobile “Wok-N-Roll Cafe” concession trailer where she demonstrates healthy, yummy cooking lessons. One of her mantras: “A red bell pepper should never cost more than a Snickers bar.”

Independent producer and environmental journalist Patricia Sagastume listens to WLRN.