Do you have enough to eat?

Do you have enough to eat...is a question I think about alot.   I operate a food pantry.  A couple of weeks ago we went to a conference for pantrys.   There were lots of different classes and trainings. 

One was really interesting to me so I wanted to share it.  The topic was Community Gardens. 

A community garden is a plot of land around which neighborhoods can come together on individual or family plots to grow food and build community.  Community gardens can be a first step in providing food security for families, neighborhoods and communities.

Community Gardens:

• Build neighborliness and sense of ownership in the garden and the community
• Make productive use of urban vacant land, providing cooling, neighborhood composting and recycling of organic wastes to create soil, water filtration and absorption
• Grow flowers and ornamental vegetables that beautify the neighborhood
• Provide low-cost organic vegetables and herbs
• Create a sense of pride and accomplishment and the empowerment of food self-sufficiency
• Make a place for outdoor activities, exercise, recreation and therapy to alleviate stress
• Have long been used as an additional form of healing for people who are ill and as activities for the mentally handicapped
• Teach children about the environment and plants and about working with others
• Give older people a way to be productive, interact with, and mentor /care for children
• Provide the opportunities for everyone in a neighborhood to be able to interact and work together and learn about each other
• Save money for people growing their own food
• Help homeless people, and others in difficult situations, to regain their pride and sense of belonging to a community, learn skills and be productive for their own sake and the sake of the community.
• Community Gardens are about community-building, neighborliness, the environment, local self-sufficiency, healthy organic food, economic empowerment, and improving the urban landscape of a community.

Community gardens can be started by groups at a church or just people in a neighborhood.  A community carden project would be a great activity for a Home School group. 

October is a perfect time to start thinking about and planning a community garden for the spring.  There are alot of sites just google Community gardens you'll get lots of info. and help.  

              This is the day that the Lord has made!
                I will rejoice and be glad in it!
                           Psalm 118:24

Joyfully . . .