TYLER, Texas — Smith County Jail inmates spent Thursday morning giving back to the community around them by gardening and harvesting fresh produce for the East Texas Food Bank.
At the food bank garden on Highway 155 in the Noonday area, several inmates operated machinery, prepared soil, and harvested potatoes, squash, tomatoes and other fresh vegetables.
East Texas Food Bank CEO Dennis Cullinane said the nonprofit is focusing on growing produce for those who were impacted by inflation and power outages.
Smith County inmate Mitchell Gilbert said working in the garden helps him prepare for a return to normal life.
"It helped me a lot," Gilbert said. "Because I can now go back and instead of me going out and doing I was doing I ain't gonna be doing that no more."
The food bank hopes to fill four truck loads of produce from the garden, which equals to 160,000 pounds of food to help East Texas residents in need.