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Carly Burd, who grows fruit and plants for people in need, said she discovered her garden had been trashed with salt.
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After Burd shared his grief with TikTok, users began receiving donations, advice, and support.
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For now, Burd said he plans to turn the space into a community center.
A TikToker who said he fed more than 1,600 people in the middle of the UK cost of living crisis found his garden trashed with salt, killing the crops, for un video viral she posted on Tuesday. The video has been viewed more than 1.6 million times, as strangers make donations and locals offer to help restore his land.
In November, Carly Burd began posting about her.”A meal on me with love“, who collects the fruits and vegetables she grows in her garden in Harlow, England, in donation boxes that she delivers to those in need. “I alone fed 190 people, turned my whole garden into an orchard,” he wrote in his fundraiser.
This week, Burd told viewers that he believed someone had broken into his property and dumped large amounts of salt to destroy “hours and hours of work” he worked on. (Excess salt on agricultural land can decimate plant growth).
“Everything I planted won’t grow and I can’t replant it because it won’t grow,” he said.
His on-screen text said that he had “fed 1,613 people through the cost of living crisis” so far.
Commenters flooded the video with words of support, shared their sadness, and offered funds, advice, and their own hands to help bring her garden back to life.
TikTokers who claimed to be farmers said that using a lot of straw and water can undo some of the damage. “We can solve this problem! one person assured him.
“I can help?” another onlooker asked, noting that they lived nearby. “Please let me know one way or the other and I’ll help you sort it out.”
by Burd Fundraiser A Meal on Me with Love saw a flood of donations in light of this news. “I can’t believe someone did this,” wrote one person with a £10 donation. “I was horrified to read what happened to your garden today, but it’s wonderful to see the level of support you’re getting here,” another added with another £10 gift.
Burd thanked viewers for the influx of donations at a follow up video april 12 but he said that being able to taste the salt emanating from the plot was still overwhelming.
Through tears, Burd said the onions her children and volunteers helped plant “would have fed 300 families.”
“The amount of work, I can’t even begin to say it, that has gone into this award is incredible.”
On Tuesday, Burd’s GoFundMe campaign raised £83,290 of its initial goal of £4,000. His description states that all funds raised “go directly to ‘A Meal on Me’.”
As Inflation prices hit all-time highs, many English citizens faced an increased risk of famine. Over the past year, the number of UK children living in food poverty almost doubled.
In a television interview Burd posted on her account in November 2022 that she said her own experiences of not being able to pay for food while disabled made her more empathetic to people currently struggling to make ends meet. (Burd has previously spoken about living with multiple sclerosis and lupus.)
Today, Burd told viewers that she’s still “absolutely heartbroken” about what happened, but that she’s not going to let setbacks beat her. It’s unclear who the perpetrators were, and Insider contacted Burd.
She said that with the help of others, she was able to dig up a lot of salt and plans to cover it with topsoil to “neutralize” it so things can grow again. In the meantime, she plans to turn the area into a community space where neighbors can connect and share their own food and crops.
“I think I’m going to turn it into a lounge where the old people can come and we can have tea, coffee, cakes, talks and things like that,” Burd said.
“I am absolutely overwhelmed with the feedback from everyone and everything,” she added. “I really appreciate it, thank you.”
Read the original article at Started
