CNN Heroes, a program that recognizes outstanding people who are making an incredible difference in their community, has recognized a familiar face for many Rocky Mount citizens. Reverend Richard Joyner, a pastor in Conetoe and head of Conetoe Family Life Center, is helping the youth of Edgecombe County eat healthier and practice good lifestyle habits through his community garden and 150 beehives.

While most of us in Rocky Mount recognize Richard from Gatekeepers work camp or his volunteering at Nash General Hospital, you may be unfamiliar with the work he is doing to make his hometown of Conetoe (24 miles east of Rocky Mount) a better place to live. Rev. Joyner had the idea to start the community garden when he realized that he was spending more time at funerals than in his church. He notes that most of these deaths were caused by preventable diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure. He was inspired to help his rural community become healthier. He created a community garden which now has 20 plots of land and one 25 acre site. In hopes to ensure that the next generation has access to healthy foods, Joyner has involved the children of Conetoe with his projects. Children plant, water, and harvest the crops. This produces not only healthy children, but it also builds character, responsibility, and a creates a positive way for children to spend their time. They harvest over 50,000 pounds of produce each year. The majority goes to local families, but the remainder is sold to local restaurants like Tarboro’s On the Square.

One of Richard’s more recent projects, his beehives, are quickly gaining ground as well. He and 12 Conetoe youth became certified beekeepers to harvest honey to sell. They have 150 hives and a “bee bus” (an old school bus) that they drive to different locations to pollinate. Richard and his helpers are producing over 5,000 pounds of honey a year. They have their own brand of honey (that is delicious, if I do say so myself) that is carried by several restaurants as far as Raleigh. Rev. Joyner recruits the youth, some as young as 12 years old, to be honey reps as well. The children are responsible for selling honey to local families, restaurants, and anyone that is interested in locally harvested honey.

Richard Joyner’s idea of creating a healthier community has far surpassed his expectations. Emergency room visits are down, people are feeling better, and Conetoe is stronger because of it. While the most obvious benefits of the garden and beehives may be vegetables and honey, the effect of these projects runs much deeper than that. The garden teaches kids and teenagers the value of hard work, accountability, and gives them a good influence. In Rev. Joyner’s interview with CNN he stated, “By nourishing plants, you’re nourishing community. It’s one and the same.” Conetoe citizens now healthy bodies as well as healthy relationships.

Rev. Joyner has made it to the final round of the CNN Hero list; he and 9 others are up for the Hero of the Year award. Vote for Richard Joyner once a day every day until voting closes on November 15^th at http://heroes.cnn.com/#.gd6hjahdjae2X.To read more of his interview with CNN, go to http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/24/us/cnn-heroes-joyner/index.html.