Community Garden Revitalization

Allendale Acres provides a space for community members to grow fresh organic produce and to cultivate relationships with their fellow neighbors. The garden contributes to the surrounding neighborhood in many ways including providing a safe space for neighbors during the pandemic.

This fundraiser is incredibly important to the garden because it will help us improve the safety and the beauty of the garden, while also increasing the gardening space so more people can access fresh organic vegetables during this period of food insecurity due to COVID.

The garden is in need of more materials in order to keep the space properly maintained and safe for gardeners. That includes funding materials for a gravel pathway so that the garden walkways are safe to walk on, especially for the senior gardeners who may slip on wet grass. This project will require gravel, a new wheelbarrow, and a shed to accommodate the additional tools.  

The community garden is also in need of a electricity to help power various garden chores like weed whacking, fixing the existing fencing, trimming bushes, and tilling the ground for the pathway project. The garden also needs power for the flea market, which is the primary source of income for the garden.    

Community garden members have been meeting on a weekly basis to prepare for the gravel walkway project.  Once we receive the money we will take the following steps to ensure its successful completion.  

• Prepare the ground by leveling it out and removing any rocks or large roots on the weekend of August 29th
• Order gravel and have it shipped to the garden in early September
• build the shed on September 12th
• Build the pathway using shovels and wheelbarrows on September 19th

We believe that community gardens are an incredible asset for the neighborhood because they provide a long list of benefits to the people living in them.  Allendale Acres garden is in a neighborhood that has been identified as a food desert. The community garden gives people a space to grow nutrient rich food while also cutting down the cost of spending money on groceries/bus fare. It doesn't solve the food access problem completely, but it does improve the conditions for many people.  

The garden is also a great space for educating the youth on growing vegetables, healthy eating, and environmental stewardship. Those lessons will have incredibly long lasting benefits on the youth who have participated in the garden.  That is why we donate two raised garden beds to a youth program in the community to act as an outdoor classroom.    

Community gardens also reduce pollution due to the locally sourced food it provides to the neighborhood.  Organic local vegetables reduce the pollution caused by transporting food long distance and through eliminating the need for fertilizer and pesticides.