Around here, fast food is more common than salad bars. But Coe is doing his part to educate and expose kids to agriculture, while growing fresh produce and protein organically. Then, he’s giving the food away to families who need it.

‘You’re really teaching outside of the textbooks and really taking the science, and the applications of science, and putting them into motion,’ Coe said on a recent tour of the building. ‘That’s why I love our project.’

He’s doing all this while food insecurity across the country and in Kansas City has gotten worse because of the coronavirus pandemic, particularly for Black, Latino and immigrant households, many of which send their kids to East High.

When the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities looked at recent census data, they found more than 20% of Black and Latino adults reported not having enough to eat, compared to 9% of white Americans.

‘A lot of people don’t have an idea that this is going on here, actually,’ said Elsa Mecado, about Green Acres.

Macedo is a 4-H/Snack program coordinator at the University of Missouri Extension in Platte County, and a East High School graduate.

‘I knew this school, I knew that they had a farming program, so I was like, “I should try to go there, even though it’s not in my county,”’ she said. ‘The students … talk to you more and they get a little more excited when they see someone that looks like them.’

Plus, Macedo said, it gives her a chance to learn more about aquaculture — the farming technique that makes Coe’s nonprofit stand out.

Going inside the greenhouse

Coe’s greenhouse is split into two sides: The dirt side and the aquaponics side.

On the dirt side, vegetables, herbs and native plants grow in black plastic pots and trays, spread out across gray tables — like a typical greenhouse or garden center. There’s also a big tub of dark compost filled with tiny worms.

‘When we’re finished with the plant, we will try to recycle the soil,’ Coe said. ‘The worm can eat and process all the biodegradable material in the soil and excrete … really, really, really good, earthy, organic type of soil.’

But the main attraction is the aquaponics side.

‘Aquaponics is the science of using … fish waste, or the fish poop, to provide fertilizer to the plants. So we have a balance going on,’ said Coe.”