Volunteering at Ahern Orchard, Las Vegas, NV

With the temperatures starting to cool, the Shine City Project group returned to doing outdoor service projects. On September 11, 2021, they volunteered for the first time at Ahern Orchard. Only a mile away from the casinos of Downtown, this Orchard is located on land that once belonged to Las Vegas's earliest Korean immigrants. In the 1930s and 1940s, Korean immigrant Frank Kim and his Hispanic wife, Juanita Sanchez, owned and operated what was called the Kim Produce Farm. On their 20-acre farm, from the poor desert soil, they were able to successfully grow melons, tomatoes, and onions that supported the local community. 

Today, this area of land has become Ahern Orchard. Breaking ground in February 2016, Ahern Orchard was started by Lloyd Benson of Ahern Rentals. Ahern Orchard currently has 3,200 plants and fruit trees which cover an area of 10 acres. Some of the fruits that can be found there include peaches, apples, European and Asian pears, figs, pomegranates, and grapes, as well as hybrids such as pluots, plumcots, apriums! All fruits that are grown at Ahern Orchard are donated to local organizations and charities supporting food-insecure families and individuals in Las Vegas.

The twelve Shine City Project volunteers arrived at Ahern Orchard where they met Picho and other workers. After walking around and receiving a tour through the orchard, they stopped at an open area with garden beds and learned what their tasks were for the day. The team helped to  prepare the garden beds for the next planting season and spent the morning mixing fertilizer with the existing soil in the garden beds, leveling the soil, and eventually laying out the irrigation tubes on top.

Joining the Shine City Project volunteer activity included Katherine Duncan of the Harrison House, and Rev. Ken Doo, the local church leader of FFWPU. It was difficult work digging into the garden beds to mix the soil, but the volunteers gained an appreciation for the effort and what it takes to be able to grow something from a seed to a fully mature plant or tree. Additionally, it takes even more time and effort in creating and maintaining the orchard for what it is today and they were happy they could contribute to and enjoy this gem in the middle of Las Vegas.