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Could growing more food within the town of Smiths Falls help alleviate some of the food inflation and food insecurity experienced by a third of people in Smiths Falls? Would another community garden provide opportunities for community building and connection? Are there community members interested in gardening together or having their own community garden plot? Are there experienced gardeners in the community interested in giving a hand and sharing their skills and knowledge with others? These are the questions that the Falls Food Hub and St. John’s Anglican Church are asking as they explore whether a new community garden at the church property is desired, feasible, and practical.
The 442 m2 front lawn of the Parish Hall is currently a lawn with great sunlight that has the potential to grow a significant amount of food for the community. The idea is not new and a small raised bed is already in place on the lawn. The current exploration got started by a comment made by Ramsey Hart, Executive Director of The Table Community Food Centre to Reverend Dr. Thomas Brauer, the Incumbent at St. John’s. “It was a beautiful sunny spring day and as I came up the walkway to the hall it just seemed so obvious to me, as a gardener, that this could be a great place to grow food for the community” commented Hart. “In a half joking way, I mentioned this thought to Thomas and about a week later I had a message asking for a meeting with two members of the Church Council to discuss creating a community garden!”
The Anglican Church congregation is interested in the garden as a means of supporting and connecting with the community. Participants would not have to have any affiliation with the church and the community garden would be offered as an expression of love for the community.
Anyone interested in the idea of a new community garden is invited to a community discussion at the Parish Hall, located at 2 George St. S, on Tuesday June 4th at 7pm. There is also an online survey people are encouraged to complete. A link to the survey can be found at the Falls Food Hub page of The Table’s website. https://www.thetablecfc.org/the-falls-food-hub
The Falls Food Hub is a project of The Table Community Food Centre. It is being developed with a number of community partners and with the support of the Town of Smiths Falls, local business and individual donors. The Hub aspires to be a welcoming place where community members can enjoy good food, conversation and friendship, while accessing other much-needed resources. Programs are being modeled after those run successfully at The Table for the past ten years including community meals, food skills training, community navigation services, social justice education and action, and community gardening. The Table is actively fundraising to support the creation of a permanent home for the Hub at 41 Chambers St.
