Episode 2 of the Food For All Podcast tells the story of Leah Lee, aka the Okra Whisperer.

Leah grew up with little-to-no fresh food in her community, where many people’s “first interaction with vegetables was out of a can.” The first fresh, quality vegetable Leah had was the one she learned how to grow in her forties.

Nearly 400,000 people don't have reliable access to nutritious food in the greater St. Louis bi-state region—that’s 1 in every 7 people you see. Feeding America’s latest data shows this includes 117,000 children, or 1 in 6 children.

Leah remembers her great grandmother volunteering at the pantry, giving people boxes of food. Leah is now at that same corner in west St. Louis City, giving people fresh produce instead of packaged products.

What do people need? Food. Why don’t they have it? Because “the people who are making the decisions don’t know what it's like to not have access.”

Leah has been fighting a systemic problem enabled by our elected officials. Through her work, she has built trust, fostered relationships, and empowered women to reconnect with the land and take control of their own nourishment.