Jungnang police grow potatoes on station rooftop, donate harvest to elderly neighbors

Officers at the Seoul Jungnang Police Station have donated potatoes they grew on the station's rooftop to elderly residents in the neighborhood.

On Friday, the station donated 18 boxes of potatoes — about 90 kilograms — to the Jungnang-gu Senior Citizens' Association. The potatoes were grown by staff on an unused section of the rooftop. Officers visited the association in person to hand over the produce and spend time with local seniors.

The station has carried out similar outreach before. Last year, staff grew 350 heads of cabbage in an unused space on the station grounds and donated them to elderly residents in the area.

This year's rooftop garden got its start in late May, when staff planted seed potatoes in the unused rooftop space. Over roughly two months, officers watered the plants and pulled weeds, tending the crop through to harvest.

The Jungnang-gu Office's urban agriculture division also pitched in during the growing process. Officials from the division visited the rooftop to advise staff on potato cultivation and care, helping bring the harvest to fruition through community cooperation.

The sharing will extend inside the station as well. On Friday, July 10, the station plans to hold a "homemade burger day" in the staff cafeteria, serving handmade burgers and french fries made from the harvested potatoes. The event is intended to foster communication and camaraderie among staff.

Jungnang Police Station chief Kang Gyeong-han said the rooftop garden project had served as an opportunity to reflect on the value of life and the spirit of community. "Protecting the lives of the public is the most important mission of the police," he said. "Through this garden activity — caring for small living things together and sharing the fruits of that effort with our neighbors — we were reminded again of how precious life is and what it means to be a community."

He added that the station would continue to pursue a range of community service activities alongside its public safety work. "We will keep pushing forward with policing centered on protecting people's lives, as well as diverse social contribution activities together with the local community," he said.