BEVERLY, Mass. — While most saw it as just a patch of grass on a traffic island in the middle of a busy road, one man in Beverly saw an opportunity.
On a busy stretch of Route 127 in Beverly in the shadow of St. Margaret Catholic Church and under the watchful eye of the statue of the Virgin Mary, sits a small patch of paradise.
The garden is 360-feet long, 60-feet wide and about 6,000-square feet. The traffic island is owned by the state and believed to be the first of its kind in Massachusetts.
"I noticed full sun and it was sitting here more of a burden to the state cutting the grass every summer so I told them what I wanted to do and they were happy to give me the permit," said John Fallon.
Fallon, along with the help of his two brothers and nephew, grows enough vegetables to feed about 12,000 people a year through local church meal programs and shelters.
"It's nice to be able to do that to help others that need a little help and to do it together as a family is just a great, great feeling," said Tom Fallon.
Fallon donates what he grows in the garden. So far this year he's grown around 2,000 pounds worth of vegetables.
"I have cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, summer squash, corn, neck squash, broccoli, cabbage, a lot of peppers, cherry tomatoes, butternut squash..." said John Fallon.
A labor of love by raising crops and giving back to a community which raised them.
"I think we should use more of our land for this purpose, why not, instead of spending money on cutting grass," said Fallon.
Fallon wants to look at planting small gardens on the sides of state-owned exit ramps on 128 from Beverly to Boston. If you'd like to donate, please email Fallon at johnffallon@comcast.com.