WWW.MOTHEREARTHNEWS.COM 47more tangible way to help others than
growing fresh food for them?
Hunger is a significant problem. One
in seven people in the United States re-
lies on local food aid, and more than
14 percent live below the official pov-
erty line. At least one in five children
is at risk of hunger. Right where you
live, people are going hungry. But
food-aid agencies seldom share fresh,
wholesome produce when it’s in season.
Pretty much everything in food pantries
comes in a can or a box. No wonder:
Such items are inexpensive and they
store well. Thinking of that industrially
processed food, I only got more excited
about my vision of growing fresh vege-
tables and giving them away. I knew my
plan wouldn’t solve world hunger, but
it would be something hands-on that
would help right where I lived.Digging In
When I asked folks in my town of
Fairview, North Carolina, what they
thought of a community giving gar-
den, enthusiasm spread faster than
bees on clover. A lot of people besides
me wanted a down-to-earth way to
help. Before long, we had an advisory
group, a great piece of borrowed land
for growing the garden, scads of gener-
ous donations — from
a port-a-potty to a
truckload of compos-
ted manure — and
scores of people ea-
ger to pull stones and
plant seeds.
We named our proj-
ect The Lord’s Acre
after a local Great
Depression effort in
which people gave
away what they grew
on an acre to help
neighbors in need.
Now that our gar-
den is in its eighth
growing season, I’m proud to say that
our volunteers have grown and given
away more than 55 tons of organic
produce to neighbors in need. Our
beautiful garden has even spawned
spin-off efforts, such as a weekly com-
munity meal, garden classes, new
home gardens, and a program in which
interested folks can give or take excess
produce. We quickly learned that in
addition to produce, The Lord’s Acre
grows community.Start Your Own
If you’d like to set something like
this up in your own community, you’ll
first need to find other driven people
who want to take part in the project.
Your team’s first efforts will be organiz-
ing and planning. Create a core group
and a steering committee that meets
regularly, and designate one person as
the main facilitator. Next, start asking
some key questions.
For instance, how
many people will be
involved, and what
will their roles be? At
The Lord’s Acre, we
have a full-time gar-
den manager, season-
al garden interns, and
scores of volunteers.
Also, what model of
giving garden do you
want to create? We
give away everything
we grow through lo-
cal food agencies. In
other models, every-
one who works in the community gar-
den gets a share of the harvest. Some
groups help people grow gardens in
their own backyards.
Likewise, you can garden in a slew of
different ways. We use deep-dug raised
beds, which build healthy soil and make
for extremely high production in a lim-
ited space. Others use traditional row
gardens or boxed beds.
Next, figure out how you’re going to
share the food you grow. Contact lo-There’s not a There’s not a There’s not a
single volunteer single volunteer single volunteer
at The Lord’s at The Lord’s at The Lord’s
Acre who Acre who Acre who
doesn’t feel they doesn’t feel they doesn’t feel they
receive as much receive as much receive as much
as they give.as they give.as they give.
Gardeners at The Lord’s Acre have grown and given away more than 55 tons of food in eight seasons.Two people reaching over garden bed: SARAH ELIZABETH MALINAK
SUSAN SIDES; TOP RIGHT: SARAH ELIZABETH MALINAKp 46-48 Giving Garden.indd 47 10/5/16 10:03 AM