Saint John Centre of Hope community garden blooming again

by Maritime
Categories: News Archive
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    Those with green thumbs would argue that there is nothing more satisfying than eating vegetables grown yourself with patience, love and care. The men at the Saint John Centre of Hope would likely agree.

    The Centre, located in the heart of the Port City, is enjoying the benefits of a community garden for the second consecutive year. Maintained by residents and staff of the Centre, the garden produces fresh vegetables that are then incorporated into meals at the Centre.

    The garden is your typical win-win situation. Built on vacant land adjacent to the Centre that was donated a decade ago, the project helps do even more than just provide food for the kitchen.

    “More importantly it gives the guys a sense of pride and dignity in growing their own food,” says Captain Rodney Bungay, Executive Director of the facility. “Just having their hands in the dirt and allowing them to take ownership of what’s happening here is really special.”

    The Fundy Region Solid Waste Commission sponsored the initial creation of the garden last June, helping to construct the grounds and fill the area with compost. Halifax Seed has provided the seed for the garden each year and Fundy Fencing helped erect a fence around the new green space.

    This year’s garden includes potatoes, beets, onions, carrots, lettuce, beans and peas. Capt. Bungay says that the beet greens were a particular favourite of the men.

    “I had never eaten beet greens before, never heard of them actually,” Bungay says. “But last year the cooks couldn’t keep them in supply here. As fast as we had them cut, cleaned and put on the plates, they were gone and the guys were asking for more.”

    The Saint John Centre of Hope has 82 beds for men, 27 dedicated to transitional housing, 15 to supportive community housing and another 40 for the Special Care Program. Bungay is pleased with how the garden has become a focus for his residents.

    “Inside the building there’s a sense of pride. It’s their garden,” he says. “I’ll be walking through the hallways here doing floor checks and the topic of conversation inevitably always comes back to the garden and how well it’s doing. It’s a conversation piece that they take tremendous ownership of.

    “Outside the building, we have constant comments from passers-by. To have this kind of a garden right in the downtown core – or the uptown core as we call it here – it really stands out.”

    Saint John Centre of Hope community garden

    The Saint John Centre of Hope is enjoying its second summer in the Port City. Clockwise from top left: tilling the garden last month; planting the seeds; the garden in full bloom last year; the garden as it appeared in early July this year.