KILLEEN, Texas — In a corner of downtown Killeen, something beautiful is taking root.

Nonprofit Killeen Creators is transforming lives through an unlikely combination: community gardens and art studios, creating a sanctuary where healing happens one brushstroke and one planted seed at a time.

What started in 2020 as a response to food insecurity has blossomed into something much deeper—a place where people struggling with addiction, mental health issues or anything at all can find peace without judgment.

"Doing art and gardening, it's the same thing," said James McWilliams, who helped establish the organization with founder and friend Kelly Flading and wife Kristen Wright-McWilliams during the COVID-19 pandemic. "There's no judge, you're just doing and just creating."

The idea sprouted

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