Interested in Local Food Justice? Become a Community Gardener

In mid-April of this year, our Mission Commission started a new initiative. We are raising organic produce at the Garden of Hope, located on the property of the Westchester Korean Seventh Day Adventist Church on White Hill Rd., one driveway to the east of the Wilkens farm. We are working two 2×80 foot plots: rows #26 and #8. So far, we have delivered to the First Presbyterian Church of Yorktown Pantry 60 heads of lettuce along with some kale and swiss chard. Later this summer, we expect to harvest beans, peppers, squash, and tomatoes, and other vegetables. Other charitable organizations, including various houses of worship and some scout troops, share the Garden of Hope with us, and we’re beginning to forge relationships with them that are giving us a greater understanding and awareness of the need that exists within our community and of related efforts to address that need. Some may even start contributing their produce to our Pantry.

Many congregation members have asked for more local Mission opportunities. This is a great opportunity to help those in need, to serve God, and to learn more about food justice needs in our community and (through your work and our publicizing of it) to bring that awareness back to our community. Children are welcome to participate with adult supervision.

BECOME A COMMUNITY GARDENER

We seek help with maintaining our garden plots:

  • Three times per week, our rows need to be watered.
  • At weekly intervals, we need help with weeding and other forms of maintenance like staking and tying up tomato plants.
  • On the Thursday or Friday before a Pantry Saturday, we need people to help us do the harvest.

 

To help us organize these various activities, we have created an online signup site. If you are interested in being one of our gardeners, please contact Jeff Kephart at jeffkephart @ gmail.com (without the spaces). He will add you to the gardener team. Once this happens, then any time you feel like signing up all you have to do is:

  1. Visit the sign-up site
  2. You will see a calendar showing dates, some of which will (likely) be available.
  3. Find an available date and task (note that there are different tasks: weeding, watering, etc.) and click on “sign up”.
  4. If you haven’t done this before, you may have to fill in some account information (this is very easy).
  5. Once you sign up for a particular task and date, you’ll receive an email confirmation and a reminder email a few days before dates for which you signed up.

GARDENING INSTRUCTIONS

For more detailed information about the garden’s location, how to get in, and procedures for watering and weeding, see this link.

GARDEN HOURS
The garden is accessible throughout the weekdays and weekends, yet garden
participants are asked to work around the schedule of the worship services
at the adjacent church facility:

Westchester Korean Seventh Day Adventist Church
(Saturday Bible Study 10:00 AM,
Saturday Worship Service 11:30 AM)

Taconic Christian Church
(Sunday morning worship service 9:30 AM, followed by bible study groups)

Assemblies of God
Sunday evening worship service

If you find yourself parking during a worship service or bible study, please allow the congregants to use the more favorable parking spaces, and engage in quiet gardening activities only. Many volunteers find weekday evenings are ideal for gardening on the way home from work, in the cooler evening
conditions, etc.

 

:)