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Seeds of community
May 04, 2009
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The PLU community garden is sprouting more than vegetables this spring.
This year the Garden Club's efforts will really focus on connecting with the community, said Kristi Riedel, of the Garden Club. As the garden grew in its new 10,000-square-foot plot last year the focus was creating a community garden within the PLU community, but now it's time for more growth, Reidel said.
To get that started, the Community Garden now has two staff positions in charge of managing the garden and community outreach.
“Moving to the new site has been fantastic,” said Beau Abajian, community outreach coordinator. “Now we really want to look at different ways to get the community involved more.”
In the last year, more than a ton of food was grown at the community garden. Much of what was grown was donated to places like the Trinity Lutheran Food Bank and Parkland Family Services.
“It’s been very beneficial to already have started as the need has grown,” Riedel said.
Those food bank connections have really been a helpful community outreach point, Abajian said, and have sparked more outreach effort the Garden Club can make.
Recently, the Garden Club members helped Trinity Lutheran Church start its own community garden.
But efforts don’t stop there, Abajian said.
The Garden Club s looking at community co-op possibilities, a greenhouse at the garden for year-round growth, providing more fresh food to Dining Services and has been hosting Sunday work parties at the community garden.
“There’s a lot to think about,” Abajian said.
At the work parties, he’d like to see more non-PLU community members involved because the more people that are involved the more the garden can thrive and be identified as a true community garden.
“It’s really helpful when we have a lot of hands to chip in,” Abajian said.
Community Garden
To find out more about the community garden, including how to volunteer call 253-535-7472 or send an e-mail to garden@plu.edu.
Campus Voice Editor Chris Albert compiled this report. Comments, questions, ideas? Please contact him at ext. 8691 or at albertct@plu.edu. Photo by University Photographer Jordan Hartman.
To get that started, the Community Garden now has two staff positions in charge of managing the garden and community outreach.
“Moving to the new site has been fantastic,” said Beau Abajian, community outreach coordinator. “Now we really want to look at different ways to get the community involved more.”
In the last year, more than a ton of food was grown at the community garden. Much of what was grown was donated to places like the Trinity Lutheran Food Bank and Parkland Family Services.
“It’s been very beneficial to already have started as the need has grown,” Riedel said.
Those food bank connections have really been a helpful community outreach point, Abajian said, and have sparked more outreach effort the Garden Club can make.
Recently, the Garden Club members helped Trinity Lutheran Church start its own community garden.
But efforts don’t stop there, Abajian said.
The Garden Club s looking at community co-op possibilities, a greenhouse at the garden for year-round growth, providing more fresh food to Dining Services and has been hosting Sunday work parties at the community garden.
“There’s a lot to think about,” Abajian said.
At the work parties, he’d like to see more non-PLU community members involved because the more people that are involved the more the garden can thrive and be identified as a true community garden.
“It’s really helpful when we have a lot of hands to chip in,” Abajian said.
Community Garden
To find out more about the community garden, including how to volunteer call 253-535-7472 or send an e-mail to garden@plu.edu.
Campus Voice Editor Chris Albert compiled this report. Comments, questions, ideas? Please contact him at ext. 8691 or at albertct@plu.edu. Photo by University Photographer Jordan Hartman.