A new community garden is blooming with potential in Wallaceburg.
Staff at the Chatham-Kent Community Health Centres recently unveiled the garden project, which was made possible with $14,000 in funding from the 2023 CK Charity Classic golf tournament, among other donations.
Sherri Saunders, the Health Centres’ Executive Director, says the wheelchair accessible space will benefit those in need in the community.
“Food insecurity is real in the community, and for us to build on our roots of agriculture within the community and be able to showcase gardening and harvesting fruits and vegetables, it will tie in with our programming offered by our inter-professional team,” Saunders says. “Teaching food skills with a dietician and the provision of food, the various equity-seeking groups that we serve will benefit from the produce that’s gleaned from the garden.”
The garden, which located behind the CHC clinic on Dufferin Avenue, includes several raised beds with a mix of fruits, vegetables, and pollinator plants.
Mallory Nowakowski, Clinical and Client Service Manager says the garden has also lead to some great collaborations in the community.
“We were given the opportunity to partner with the Chatham-Kent Public Library to promote their seed library program. We’re hoping to work with them again in future years to help people learn how to plant seeds, utilize their seed garden, and hopefully increase the plants and vegetables we’re able to have here in our community garden.”
Beth Kominek, Health Promoter says it provides a great opportunity to show the benefits of locally grown food.
“I just think it’s great to have something in Wallaceburg that’s accessible and be able to do things grassroots, straight from growing everything all the way to utilizing everything in the programming that we already do, so that everyone can see things straight from seed to on your plate.”
Kominek says any harvest gleaned from the gardens will be shared with community members and those in need in the Wallaceburg and surrounding area.