MLK Day Fruit Orchard Planting at Langston Hughes Academy with WDSU’s Margaret Orr

Langston Hughes Academy turned a bit more green earlier this week with the help of NOLA Tree Project and WDSU chief meteorologist Margaret Orr.

It all took place on Martin Luther King Jr. Day at the school near the New Orleans Fair Grounds. Orr and several volunteers joined the group for Monday’s project.

“We are doing the most amazing thing. We’re planting fruit trees up and down the neighborhood. We (asked) neighbors if they would like a fruit tree, and we said we’ll plant it in your yard if you agree to plant it in the front yard and share the bounty with everyone,” said Robin Young, program director for NOLA Tree Project.

The event was part of NOLA Tree Project’s Greaux Healthy Kids Campaign, which aims to provide children with fresh fruit through the planting of fruit orchards at 20 low-income schools in New Orleans. Organizations said the project aims to grow to over 100 schools over the next five years.

Young said NOLA Tree Project, formerly Hike for KaTreena, began as an effort to replace the 10,000 trees that were lost to Hurricane Katrina. The organization has helped plant over 32,000 trees with the help of 65,000 volunteers.