Tammy Bird was deeply upset about how her Crenshaw High
School students had suffered during the 1992 LA riots. She
wanted to find a way to renew their spirit and bring out the best
in them. She started with a cluttered, weed-filled, vacant lot right
outside her classroom window and -worked with students to turn
it into a garden. This is the story of how a garden flourished,
students blossomed and a business was born – giving these young
people hope for their future. Thanks to their “Food from the
Hood” salad dressing, sold in 2000 grocery stores across the country, each student has a college scholarship. As one student put
it, “We all fell in love with the garden because we were growing
happiness.”