St. Catharines Standard e-edition

Land donated to United Way Niagara to create community garden hub

Agency partners with Absolute Change Management to aid those living with food insecurity

MATTHEW P. BARKER MBARKER@NIAGARADAILIES.COM

United Way Niagara has partnered with a Vineland business owner to create a 0.8-hectare community garden hub to help support people living with food insecurity in Niagara.

Close to 15 per cent or about 60,000 people in Niagara are struggling with food insecurity as costs continue to soar due to inflation, coupled with rising housing costs and overall price increases, causing food banks to struggle with increasing demand, according to statistics compiled by the United Way.

Dave Peters, president of Absolute Change Management (ACM), and his family recently partnered with United Way.

“It started with my wife wanting to give back to the community, as we’re so blessed, and I wanted to do something with this land, and then it just rolled from there,” said Peters.

United Way and ACM have been working since October to ensure plans were in place to launch the project in early spring and guarantee a bountiful harvest throughout the growing season.

Peters said several motivating factors played into offering United Way the opportunity to help feed people who are struggling.

“My wife and I have always wanted to give back, that’s always been a part of ACM, it’s part of our mantra, it’s part of our belief system,” Peters said.

“Our daughter worked at Community Care, so we saw firsthand the need in the community, and it goes back to my wife’s attachment to this property through her father and grandparents. It has always been a productive farm and she wanted to see this land back being productive.”

He said the land had been overgrown with weeds, grass and other growth for the better part of 15 years, so the timing was right to do something good.

A donation of land to grow food is so welcoming at such a needed time, said Erin Riseing, community growing programs co-ordinator for United Way Niagara.

“This is such an incredible, generous gift. This is two acres and we’re able to plant such a wide variety of different crops here,” she said.

“We’ve got not only 100 fruit trees, but we’re growing things like melons, pumpkins, squash and cucumbers, and flowers, herbs and lettuce and a huge range of different things.”

Riseing said she has compiled a group of people who will tend to the garden to ensure everything is taken care of, such as weeding and watering, fertilizing and harvesting.

“It’s been fun. We’ve already hosted over 50 people, and they come from the office, and they smile and they get dirty, but they just love it,” she said.

“It’s been wonderful just to have them come and learn about how the project will support people to get better food access to things that are healthy and promoting wellness.”

She said the plan is to distribute food through community agencies and partners offering pop-up markets across Niagara serving low-income populations, with some being in “food deserts.”

A food desert is defined as an urban area without access to affordable or good quality fresh produce.

“They’re (pop-up markets) currently purchasing produce at wholesale prices from retailers, so for us to donate in support of that, it means they’re able to sustain this initiative longer and offer more produce and more variety,” said Riseing.

“We’d also be donating to food banks and other agencies strapped and experiencing an incredible amount of demand.”

Several businesses have donated to the project including Meridian Beamsville and Vineland, Salit Steel with in-kind support from Walker Environmental Group, Williams Dam Seeds and Niagara College.

To donate or get involved, email Erin Riseing at Erin@unitedwayniagara.org.

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2023-06-10T07:00:00.0000000Z

2023-06-10T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://stcatharinesstandard.pressreader.com/article/281625309705479

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