KINGSTON, Jamaica - Rapper Snoop Lion (formerly Snoop Dogg) has partnered with Reed's Ginger Brew and Causes.com to create “The Mind Gardens Project” in Jamaica, which aims to help feed children in inner city communities. 

“No child should go hungry. After all the inspiration Jamaica had provided me, I felt compelled to create a programme to give back to the community,” Snoop commented.

Snoop and John Paul Dejoria, co- founder and chairman of Paul Mitchell and Patron Spirits have created The Mind Gardens Project, which should provide residents with the tools and resources needed to grow their own food, including fruits and vegetables.

"When I went to Jamaica I saw a lot of poverty, a lot of poor people and I saw a lot of people not eating. I didn't want to just come out there and steal music, steal the culture and run back to America and get rich off of it, I wanted to come back and find a way to do something to help," Snoop said in a video posted on Youtube. 

After several recording-session visits to Jamaica, which also inspired his name change, Snoop decided to create The Mind Gardens Project. The programme has already started working in Kingston, with locations in Trench Town and Tivoli Gardens.

“When I went to Jamaica we took time to visit these communities in Kingston, and I was deeply affected by the poverty and lack of good food available to the children,” Snoop Lion said. 

An awareness campaign is underway on Causes.com, which allows people to take The Mind Gardens Project pledge and learn more about developing gardens for organic food growth in their community.

Chris Reed CEO of Reed's Ginger Brew said they have been creating Jamaican style ginger ale for years and "have always been looking for an opportunity to give back to the Jamaican culture that we embrace".

Snoop also plans to bring the programme home to the US.

“This is just the start, we have some big plans to roll out Mind Gardens stateside in the year to come,” said Snoop Lion. “We can all do our part to help people eat healthier and live better. Bless up! Jah Rastafari!”