Community volunteers transform struggling Lehigh Acres garden into success

LEHIGH ACRES, Fla. (WINK) — A local garden that struggled through winter is now overflowing with fresh produce after WINK News viewers stepped up to help.

In a remote part of Lehigh Acres off Irving Avenue, Daniel Buonocore pours his heart and soul into a garden designed to feed people in need. The acre of land was supposed to grow food for those who couldn't afford it, but back in February, things weren't going well.

Between the winter freeze and overwhelming work, Daniel told WINK News he needed help.

"I would love to have people that know gardening well enough that they could show me things that I don't know," Daniel said.

The story struck a nerve. For days after it aired, people called, emailed and posted on social media that they wanted to help.

On a single Saturday, 10 people showed up to volunteer. Now, all that work is paying off in a big way.

"Yeah, there's a lot of them, even more down in here, you'll see them growing here," Daniel said. "They're all over. There's another one there, another one there, more over there."

The tomatoes have grown so large that they're falling off the vine. "I mean, I had tomatoes that were falling off the vine, literally," Daniel said.

That success brings Daniel to a new kind of plea for help. "So need to get people out here to take this stuff in and eat," Daniel said.

He already donates to churches, firehouses and people who need help affording healthy food. That was his dream for this garden in his wife's memory.

"They're welcome to come here and pick," Daniel said. The work continues with volunteers Chris and Adrian helping plant new papaya trees and planning for next season.

"And we had Christie and Lee and Jen, the whole bunch of people, and I'm just grateful for all of it," Daniel said. He's grateful for WINK Listens because that's where he found the help he needed.

"I want to really thank you. I mean, wait, you guys have been right there, right along, and without you guys, this would have never been popularized, and who knows where it would have gone," Daniel said.

Daniel is already prepping for next year and welcomes anyone who wants fresh produce to reach out through WINK News.