'It Felt Personal': Crops Ripped Out Of Neighborhood Center's Urban Garden In Camden
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CAMDEN, N.J. (CBS) -- The hard work of some teens was obliterated this week in Camden when someone tore up a neighborhood garden. Crops destined for those in need also fell victim to the vandalism.
The teenagers at the Neighborhood Center in Camden have been working hard all summer and they were harvesting their summer produce, but now they are ripping out dead plants and salvaging what they can after someone vandalized their property.
"We put a lot of time and hard work into the garden," said urban farm employee Dontae Gust.
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Months of hard work was undone in a single night at the Neighborhood Center's urban farm when someone hopped the fence this week and started ripping out plants.
"They just came around and just pulled it directly from the root, and by the time we got here in the morning they were already dried out and all the plants looked like this, already dead," said Shatich Livingstone, the farm's master gardener.
About 90 percent of the plants are damaged, so the teens have no choice but to salvage what they can and rip out all the dead plants.
"It's a little stressful because we have been doing this since June and for somebody to come here and destroy everything it's like what would you do that for? The Neighborhood Center doesn't harm nobody," said Monee Norman, an urban farm employee.
For most of these Camden teens, working at the farm is their first job and thanks to a partnership with Campbell Soup, they've been earning $11 an hour. More importantly, though, they're learning life skills and giving away everything they grow to families in need.
"It's good, it's amazing," said Dontae. "I might have my own garden when I get older."
"I actually like giving back to the unfortunate or giving back, period, because it makes me feel good inside," said farm employee Ajane Cates.
At the moment, their pride, as well as their produce, has been trampled.
"I'm not sure if it was just them trying to have fun or they had a personal vendetta against us, I'm not sure why they would but it seemed kind of personal, it felt personal," said Livingstone.
The Neighborhood Center is hoping to bounce back and maybe get some donations so they can plant some fall produce.
