Starting a community garden or a gardening co-op at your congregation is a great way to assist the SFSP. Through a community garden you can provide healthy fresh vegetables, often the most cost prohibitive for families in need, to SFSP sites at a low cost to your program. Also, by involving children and youth from your congregation and the local community in planning, planting, and tending the garden, you will provide a valuable education experience and build a sense of community. There is no better way to learn healthy eating habits than to grow and prepare your own meals straight from the garden.
Gather Information
❑ Find out if there are any community gardens already in your area, and plan a visit if there are. Remember to bring along some interested friends from your congregation. You can locate some community gardens by visiting the American Community Garden Association.
❑ Contact your local food bank to see if they are already partnered with local gardens. They might have information and resources to help you get started.
❑ Local gardening associations might also have information to share—and possibly volunteers willing to partner with you on a new garden project.
❑ Check with leaders and key committees at your congregation to enlist support and approval. Seek the enthusiastic support of your building and grounds committee, for example.
❑ Consider going organic with your garden to eliminate toxins from the food, create a safer environment for children to work in, and to help the environment.
Gather Resources
❑ Publicize the project within your congregation to ask for volunteers, materials, and cash donations.
❑ Contact local businesses to ask for donations of materials, equipment, or volunteers.
❑ Publicize your project through neighborhood associations and other community organizations to invite your congregational neighbors to participate.
❑ Contact neighborhood schools to explore partnership possibilities.
Plant, Grow, Harvest
❑ Once you have all the information and resources you need, it is time to dig and plant!
❑ Consider turning the bed preparation or initial planting into a communitywide, celebratory event.
❑ Make sure that the garden is tended regularly.
❑ As food grows and is harvested, remember to celebrate the garden’s success as much as possible both in the congregation and in the larger community.
