Program Seeks to Grow Community Gardeners

The Garden Project, an arm of The Greater Lansing Food Bank, supports over 90 community gardens and helps feed over 700 people each year. The gardens supported through the Project serve a variety of needs in our area, whether they are included as part of a school curriculum, feed refugee populations, function solely as food bank donations, or provide general neighborhood “gathering spaces” to foster community.

According to Food Bank Director Joe Wald in his most recent newsletter, “nearly 20% of [the mid-Michigan] population do not know where their next meal will come from” and “1 in 4 children are at similar risk.” The Greater Lansing Food Bank was able to distribute seven million pounds of food in the past year to combat hunger in the area.

A Garden Leader’s Training (GLT) is being offered through The Garden Project to interested community members beginning in February 2015. Garden Project Manager Alex Bryan states, “This is not a gardening class - it is a crucial skill training for successful community (gardening) projects. GLT is a chance for community members to gain leadership skills, access local resources, network, share and plan for both new and existing community gardening projects.”

“Past participants include schools aiming to provide students with hands-on gardening experience and nutrition education; ‘faith and food’ congregations with goals of growing fresh produce for their members and community food banks; health clinics who want to engage their patients in healthy food production; and neighbors and apartment complex dwellers who garden together,” writes Bryan.

Former Advisory Committee Member, and East Lansing resident, Ginger Ogilvie is always excited to hear of and discuss programs going on at the Project. She states "the work they do is fantastic! They have a small staff and have managed to help start scores of gardens in the Lansing area, particularly at a time when economic times have been hard. Giving people access to a place of their own to get their hands dirty and harvest the results of their own labor is a powerful thing."

Registered sites and gardeners with The Garden Project often receive free seeds and seedlings, the loan of tools for a period of two weeks, training and materials as available. Home garden assistance may also be available, based on income.

The Project also facilitates other opportunities including the “Grow a Row” program, which encourages local home gardeners to donate a small amount of extra produce for food bank donations. The “Lansing Roots” program began in 2013 and is “designed to help limited resource and/or historically under-served individuals from the greater Lansing area begin successful market gardening and farming enterprises”.

The GLT series will be held over three Saturday mornings from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm on February 21, February 28, and March 14 at the Greater Lansing Food Bank’s office at 919 Filley Street in Lansing. Donations of $5-$30 per session to cover learning materials are suggested, and attendees will have the opportunity to apply for resources and startup funding.

Those interested in attending the GLT Series are encouraged to call 517-853-7809 or email The Garden Project at emailgardenproject@greaterlansingfoodbank.org.  

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