All day long, the media is flooded by bad news, making good news hard to find. While remaining optimistic in the face of all this pessimism may be hard, it is definitely worthwhile. Both attitudes are contagious, but only one can herald a better, more welcoming world. I don’t want to discount the importance of keeping up with current events. It’s important to read the news and stay up-to-date (as long as it is actually facts that you are reading). So, if you need a break from front page headlines, join WSPN’s “The Good News” for a weekly feel-good story.

Atlanta, GA—Working together, as a community, volunteers tend to a community garden. Why is this good news? As the largest free food forest in the country, this garden is part of the city’s mission to bring healthy food within a half a mile of 85% of its residents and combat food insecurity, CNN reports.

A food desert is an urban area with limited access to food. According to CNN, 1 in 4 Atlanta residents reside in severe food deserts. This garden in particular, is a 30 minute drive from the nearest grocery store. The creation of a sustainable community garden like this 7.1 acre forest is a pivotal step towards solving issues of food insecurity. This issue needs to be addressed and solved, and urban agriculture may be the way to do it. There are now 70 free food forests across the country, which harvest thousands of pounds of fresh food a year.

Read the CNN article, “Atlanta creates the nation’s largest free food forest with hopes of addressing food insecurity,” for more information on this initiative.