Lyric Lucas loves writing; reading; tea parties; super heroes; singing in the choir; dancing; and princesses. But she also enjoys people and giving back to her community. Lyric gives back best through her garden club.
“Lyric’s Garden Club has existed since Lyric was five years old. Her mission is to feed those in need of fresh fruits and veggies throughout communities nationwide,” said Lavell Lucas, Kaiser Permanente lead orthopaedics technician, and Lyric’s proud father.
Lavell Lucas has type 1 diabetes, and he and his wife often discuss the importance of proper nutrition. Following a conversation at the dinner table about the importance of living a healthy lifestyle, Lyric became focused on helping others meet their dietary needs. She shared her thoughts with her grandmother who helped her plant her first garden.
“She identified a need and is addressing it head on. She wants to feed as many people as possible from her garden,” said Lavell. “My little girl has taken on such a huge responsibility at a young age. She works hard in her garden and starts sharing her produce during the spring and summer on Saturday’s as early as 7 a.m.”
Once the news spread that six year-old Lyric was providing fresh produce to the community the Lucas family got pretty busy with the initiative. To help stay on course with Lyric’s mission, the family enlisted help by creating Lyric’s Garden Club.
“To be a member of this club you only have to have a giving spirit, and you’re part of the Grow –N– Give initiative,” said Catherine.
In just one short growing season the Grow-N-Give initiative has provided fresh produced for approximately 550 families. Local gardeners who know about the initiative have been contacting Lyric and her family to learn about Lyric’s goals for this year. They are providing support by setting aside sections of their gardens for Lyric’s mission.
“The interest is amazing and everyone is so encouraging. We use social media and Lyric’s website (www.lyricsgardenclub.com) to help us advertise the locations of our pop up gardens. Locations vary and are published on our social media pages and our website weekly. Our work continues during the fall and winter months with crop preparation and consistently spreading the word of our goals,” said Lavell.
When asked what’s next on the agenda for the little girl with the big heart, Lavell shares that Lyric’s heart is only getting bigger!
“Lyric wants a food truck. She says that she can get the produce to those in need faster by bringing the food to them,” Lavell proudly said.
Lyric has been featured on Good Morning Washington. Visit her website (www.lyricsgardenclub.com) to see her story and learn more about her garden club and Grow-N-Give initiative.
