Renae Muscatell is standing outside in a Hannaford Supermarket parking lot in Bangor, Maine. The temperature is in the upper 30s, but with the windchill, it's much colder. It's November, which means it's time for the annual Turkey Drive.

During the COVID-19 outbreak, for many families served by the Orlando Neighborhood Improvement Corporation, days are spent hunkered at home. Activities stopped. Classes stopped or went virtual. Sometimes, it was hard to tell a Monday from a Saturday.
 

Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month. From September 15 to October 15, they celebrate the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, Florida is described as "a surging state," which is not what the president of a housing nonprofit — or anybody else — wants to hear. At Rural Neighborhoods Inc., a NeighborWorks network organization in Florida City, Florida, they are working to keep residents safe.

During world wars, they were called "victory gardens," planted by families to help keep food on the table – and prevent food shortages. With grocery store shelves empty and families told to shelter in place during the COVID-19 pandemic, many people are returning to gardening and to the name.

Read "Reaching out to black farmers," part 1 of our two-part story that details how NeighborWorks organizations like Wealth Watchers support black farmers in rural communities. 

Ricky Dollison grew up farming in Poulan, Georgia, on 197 acres of fields, pastures and woods. His father grew peanuts, cotton, vegetables and tobacco. He raised hogs and cattle, too. Before that, his grandfather, known as "Big Daddy," farmed the land.

Farming wasn't easy and for a time, Dollison pictured a different life for himself. He received biomedical training and calibrated and repaired medical equipment at a hospital before moving to Connecticut to do electrical work.