The Promise Garden Park at 12th and Peyton has been selected as an Emerging community garden that is located on the grounds of the Young Adult Opportunity Center on 12th Street in Little Rock and has served as a community space for residents of the surrounding neighborhood since 2014. The garden place was developed collaboratively by dozens of stakeholders and when fully implemented will include a greenhouse, vegetable garden chickens, aquaponics demonstration area, outdoor classroom and more.

Participants in the garden are involved for a variety of reasons, but all share a common interest in community-based development of the 12th street area. This garden project helps break down barriers between members of different churches, community organizations, and neighborhoods along the 12th street corridor. Access to healthy food is a primary need that can be addressed in part by gardens such as Promise Garden Park. Jobs and opportunities for people of all ages that help make neighborhoods more healthy and sustainable. The work at the Promise Garden Park focuses on the Access to Healthy Foods Priority. They host monthly work days that bring together a diverse group of people including neighbors, students and clergy, this was the gardens second year and they feel ever more firmly established in the community. The food is always free and many neighbors come to harvest on a regular basis thanks to a consistent and productive garden this year. The members also deliver free food to elderly community members who have limited mobility.

The successes this year includes an expansion of a good production area, the construction of a chicken yard and shed, and the installation of solar lighting.  Improving the infrastructure helps offer more and better quality food to the community as well as help build skills in more areas of food production for volunteers. In closing Promise garden of 12th and Payton has raised over $10,000 with the help of amazing partners like the Interface Power and light and the Team of Neighbors That Love.