Three Sisters Gardens has been turning vacant lots into thriving urban farms for nearly eight years in West Sacramento. 

Now, the nonprofit is asking for a long-term commitment from the city so that it can continue to grow and plant roots in the Broderick and Bryte communities. 

"A lot of people don't know, but we live in a food desert. Once I found out about that, I knew that we could do something about it, having all these open, vacant lots," said Alfred Melbourne, founder and director of Three Sisters Gardens.

There is a seed of hope planted with each harvest. 

The mission of the farms since day one has been to help the local environment and get fresh, community-grown produce out to neighbors who are food insecure. 

"One of my beliefs as a native First Nations person is that our wealth is not determined by how much we have, it's by how much we give away," said Melbourne.

Three Sisters currently operates four community gardens in West Sacramento. The goal is to one day have 50. 

Their main location and hub is located on the corner of 5th and C streets.

The garden employs young farmhands in order to support the youth in Yolo County and hopefully create future farmers. 

"Farmers are far and few in between right now, we have a big shortage. We're trying to change that and train these youngsters, give them the skills, introduce them to our techniques, so that hopefully we plant that seed and get them to water it and want to take up farming as a career," said Melbourne. 

The most important lesson taught at the gardens is how to be a good neighbor. 

Melbourne says 90% of what is grown on their urban farms gets delivered to 65 households for community members who don't have access to fresh produce and vegetables. 

"Our wealth is not determined by how much we have, it's by how much we give away," said Melbourne. 

They grow about 40,000 pounds a year of fresh, seasonal vegetables. But for the growers, now comes growing pains. 

With this veggie volume, Melbourne says they need a proper building to work and teach out of at their 5th and C hub. 

It would be an upgrade from two simple shipping containers.

Melbourne says what is holding them back from building is their short-term lease for the site. 

"As we went to the planning department here in West Sacramento, we were stalled. Because with the month-to-month lease, we couldn't get a permit to put a permanent building here," said Melbourne. 

He says they have had a monthly lease term with the city since the gardens' inception. 

They appreciate what the city has done for them, but are now circulating a petition online to try and gather support for a five-to-10-year lease. 

Melbourne and supporters spoke in public comment at a West Sacramento City Council meeting in September and again this Wednesday, Dec. 3. 

They are asking the city to add an item to the agenda that would consider reworking their lease to help them remain in the community for the long term and build on their future. 

"I would like to see the city extend their lease for that area," said one supporter in public comment. 

Melbourne says there is a growing need for food in Yolo County, as many neighbors experience food insecurity and that the investment into their work is needed. 

"We have brought in hundreds of thousands of dollars of grant money. We pay up to ten youth $18 an hour, some get up to $21 an hour. We're investing into our youth. We want the city the county to also invest into our youth and really support our movement, which is growing a revolution, rebuilding urban soil, one lot at a time," Melbourne said. 

After Wednesday night's city council meeting, Melbourne told CBS Sacramento he got a call from Councilwoman Norma Alcala. 

According to Melbourne, Alcala said she has now requested the city put the topic of a lease amendment on its agenda for next month.