GARDEN GROWING


community spirit


BY GREG PRICE insight magazine


H


elping bring people together while also helping nourish the less fortunate, the Vegetable Garden project in the Taber/Barnwell area has seen community develop have deep roots.


Located on an acre-and-a-half of land north of Barnwell, recent years


have seen many organizations, including the Taber Food Bank, benefit from the bounty harvested from numerous volunteers who have tend- ed to the field.


Name something that can be grown in a garden, be it peas, corn


broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, red beets, carrots,pumpkins, squash, watermelon, cantaloupe or onions,and volunteers have likely tried it in exercising their green thumbs. Last year, there were 1,250 volunteer hours put into the Vegetable


Garden, in which 22,500 pounds of produce was harvested. “That wasn’t our high though.A couple of years ago, farmers


would know about this, everything came together in a perfect storm of conditions where we had 37,000 pounds of produce,” said Aaron Edlund,who serves as a liaison between the LDS Church and the Taber Food Bank.“It just depends on the growing conditions and every farmer in southern Alberta would nod their head at that. Although poundage was down, it was more specific to what the


food bank wanted and needs.There is only so much fresh produce that can be used in a certain time frame.” There are multiple food banks that have benefitted from the


Vegetable Garden project along with Streets Alive in Lethbridge. “Corn has been shipped as far as Calgary and Edmonton. Even


into Saskatchewan,”said Edlund.“As I’ve been involved with the food banks, it is interesting to see how they network with each other. Some get surplus of things, your stock is based on donations. You are willing to take whatever someone will give you, but there is only so much you can use of something with your clientele.There is a bit of trading going on, and it’s good to see we can help. Fresh produce is a valuable thing to trade.” While many people may have been tempted to donate their


excess Halloween candy to the food bank, it is projects like the Vegetable Garden the Taber Food Bank really appreciates with its focus on health and nutrition.At one time a few years ago,when 8,600 pounds of fresh produce was brought into the Taber Food Bank, it was estimated it helped 160 different households with much-needed healthy nourishment.Meat and fresh fruit and veg- etables are the highest costs to food banks in trying to serve their in-need clientele where the generosity from projects like the Vegetable Garden can help keep costs down. The garden has averaged between 30 to 50 tending weekly dur- ing the growing season.While on land owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints,organizers like to see people of all faiths come together to work on the project, where there are also hopes the business community will get involved as sort of a corporate challenge.The start of the growing season for the Vegetable Garden is tentatively slated for May 11, depending on Mother Nature, with harvesting starting to pick up in August.How late the growing/harvesting season goes again depends on Mother Nature co-operating.A kick-off harvest barbecue is being planned for volunteers.


2 - insight magazine march 2019


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