• Image courtesy of Piper Warlick Photography

The inimitable Robin Emmons and her nonprofit organization Sow Much Good is a Top Ten nominated finalist for the prestigious CNN Heroes Awards, an honor bestowed upon ordinary people doing extraordinary things to help others.

Since 2008, Emmons has been an advocate for less fortunate individuals living in food deserts, places where fresh, healthy food is difficult to obtain, and a catalyst for change. She was first inspired to do something after becoming the legal guardian of her mentally ill brother and realized that his health was deteriorating as a result of the food he was eating while living in a care facility.

One small, generous act, planting an extra row in her home garden, turned into the larger mission of Sow Much Good that now services hundreds of individuals via three gardening sites, including the Sunset Road Urban Farm that opened earlier this year. Currently, 73,000 people living in food deserts in Mecklenburg County. Over the last five years, Emmons has grown more than 26,000 pounds of produce for underserved communities in Charlotte.

Emmons aired her featured video on CNN in August and was announced as a Top Ten finalist earlier this month.

The CNN Hero of the Year will win $250,000 to further the mission of their organization. Voting is open until Nov. 17 with the winner decided by the public online vote. The winner will be announced on Dec. 1, 2013 when the CNN Hero of the Year and Gala airs on CNN Networks. To cast your vote, visit the CNN Heroes site here.

This Saturday, Oct. 26, NoLimit Larry, host of CBS Radio's NoLimit Larry and the Morning Maddhouse, will be at the Sunset Road Urban Farm for a voter hangout. Support the nomination of Charlotte's very own hero with members of the local community from 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. at this free event. The Sunset Road Urban Farm is located at 3432 Sunset Road.