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If you’ve ever had a garden, you have likely shared some vegetables with your neighbors. That being said, you also coveted the ground and some of the vegetables never made it past your own table.

If you happen to live in Durand, Michigan, things are a little different. In the downtown area, they are growing various fruits and vegetables and they are free for the taking.

Photo: PIXNIO

The City Council is so serious about this gardening initiative that they have agreed to spend up to $500 every year on the project.

A local news station even reported that Matt Schaefer, a city Council member, said: “At the end of the day, $500 from the budget is a drop in the bucket for a program that has done so much good for the citizens of Durand,”

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Michael Nazarian has taken the lead in the program and estimates that over 300 pounds of fruits and vegetables will be produced by the landscape initiative this year.

It started with him approaching the City Council last spring, saying it would be a great way to promote a healthy lifestyle among the residents and to invigorate the downtown area.

Photo: Max Pixel

According to the news station, the director of the Chamber of Commerce, Candace Wolsfeld, says that anybody can take the produce and many have been fed from it. Even restaurants use the produce for their food. It also has the benefits of bringing out the volunteer service of many in the community.

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