Mo' Betta Green Marketplace brings low-cost, healthy food to Denver food deserts

At the corner of 36th Avenue and Humboldt Street in Denver's Five Points neighborhood, you'll find a garden tucked away in the backyard of a home. That's where Beverly Grant is, on any given day, caring for her chickens or crouched over garden rows. And when you meet her, the warmth is immediate.

"These are onions. Look at these roots. It is incredible!" she told CBS News Colorado's Mekialaya White, picking a fresh one. "And they are aromatic. I want you to smell them."

The Denver native says her desire to give is innate. 

"I grew up with parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles that were service givers to the community."

On the daily, she's able to do that with her urban garden, which stocks her farmer's market. 

"Mo' Betta Green Marketplace is a 13-year-old farmer's market business," she explained. 

It's designed to be a connection point in the city for communities of color by increasing food access and bringing health to people of all ages.

"My community and BIPOC in general are very disconnected to healthy food present day," Grant said. 

Now, more than ever, she sees the need growing.

"Many of the lifelong residents, it's becoming hard to maintain their residency here with Denver's high cost of living on the rise. This is why it's so important to have little urban pocket farms wherever we can."

And that's why she works to mix culture and history in her food. The joy comes from there.

"The opportunity to create a little farm and have chickens, people, kids, everyone coming together is really a blessing," she said. 

The marketplace offering low-cost food kicks off on Juneteenth, which is June 19. Grant invites everyone to come celebrate and connect on Facebook and Instagram.