A Community Garden of Giving
At the end of last year, we told you about a truly community harvest at Elliotborough Community Garden. Volunteers gathered lettuces, bok choy, rainbow chard, rosemary, radicchio, mustard greens and kale and then took the harvest to Crisis Ministries, Charleston’s homeless shelter.
On Tuesday, Feb. 26, volunteers will be gathering the last of that winter harvest to once again donate to Crisis Ministries. Come out at 4:30 p.m. and help if you can.
We’re so proud of the fact we can share this community garden harvest with those in need. But we’re not the only ones doing this kind of good work. There are plenty of great community gardens in the Charleston area and around the country.
The Chicora Place Community Garden is located in an economically challenged area of North Charleston. Its mission it to “unite neighborhood residents, local businesses, nonprofit organizations and city government to transform this and other underused spaces into neighborhood treasures overflowing with healthy food for neighbors to enjoy.”
The MUSC Urban Farm is a .5-acre plot in downtown Charleston where students, faculty, staff and the community can come together to learn about the connection between land and food.
And around the country:
– The Homeless Garden Project in Santa Cruz, Calif., has been going strong for more than 20 years. They provide homeless men and women job training and transitional employment through the community garden and CSA program.
– A similar project exists in San Francisco: Project Homeless Connect, which has a community garden that encourages homeless and housed people to work side-by-side to grow food, access green space and build community.
– Grow Local Colorado is growing community gardens and donating the harvest to charities and homeless shelters, according to this Treehugger.com article.
It’s exciting for our organization to be doing something similar and helping people in our community gain access to fresh vegetables. Be sure to join us on Feb. 26 or give us a call to find out how you can help.