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Mia R. Cortez
Editor
|  Every Saturday afternoon behind the Sunland Park Library on Mc Nutt Road in Sunland Park, N.M., a group of kids, college students and seniors get dirty tilling the land, laying bricks, making fountains and planting edible herbs and veggies. The energetic gardeners are part of a collective started by El Paso senior Taylor Moore, 78, a few years ago. Moore saw a need to get the poor children of Anapra off the streets and involved in a cause they could believe in. He now has a substantial group of young participants who enjoy each others’ company and are happy to make their surroundings greener and grow food in uncontaminated soil. The areas targeted by the collaborative are areas that have possible ASARCO contamination in the soil. Moore makes the rounds every Saturday, loading as many kids in his car as fit, and takes them to their latest project. The day usually ends with a visit to Peter Piper Pizza.
Erick Murillo is a UTEP student and part of El Alhuizote, a project under the El Paso Grassroots Environmental Coalition. He hopes to grow the projects to include El Paso neighborhoods once the Sunland Park project is complete. First on their list – Segundo Barrio and Sunset Heights.
“It’s a good project for kids, older people, disabled persons,” Murillo said. “We’ll have more freedom in the neighborhoods – we can paint the containers and get active in different campaigns. I really want to see this project grow.”
Old garbage cans have been donated by the City of Sunland Park for potted plants and gardens. In the containers, they’ve also started a compost pile and a worm farm.
Other things like benches and bricks have been donated. Casa Verde and Lowe’s on Redd Road have also contributed to the efforts. Other expenses come out of Moore’s and others pockets.
Donations of green items like plants, flowers, bricks, pavers, gardening tools and time are what the collaborative seeks most.
Moore and organizers also invite local seniors to join them in their efforts, and to enjoy the therapeutic benefits of having your hands in the soil.
“I learned about the collaborative and I wanted to know what I could to do help out and bring it to El Paso, to make our community more beautiful and self sufficient,” said Mindy Chanson, 24.
For more information on how to help, call Taylor Moore at 502-3148.
Comments or questions about this story? E-mail swsenior@elpasoinc.com
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