Gardening encourages community in the city
Jul. 6—Upon its founding, Imagine Community Gardens declared its mission was to "resource churches with products, training and manpower, to create and develop community vegetable gardens, sowing seeds of friendship, hope and faith."
To that end, the Amherst-based nonprofit found its way north to Lockport almost a decade ago. Two community gardens were established and both have flourished.
The community garden on Washburn Street is overseen by The Chapel and the Ontario Street garden is hosted by Freedom Church.
The plan to turn empty lots on Washburn Street near Spalding Street into a raised bed garden underwent city review in February 2013. To this day the garden inspires both food security and spiritual community in its volunteers.
According to The Chapel at Lockport's website, Imagine Community Gardens is a local partner, which means a portion of the proceeds of the church's "Kingdom Come" collection is given to the nonprofit. The money goes a long way, Tera Domaradzki, executive director of ICG, said.
"It helps maintain (the gardens), pay for water, for events. It helps with all the things you don't think of," Domaradzki said.
Not that The Chapel doesn't get anything in return. Pastor Mike Ramos said the gardens help community members initiate relationships with the volunteers from the church who garden there.
"We help people find community," Ramos said, noting that while Kingdom Come funds go to many different ministries worldwide, there is still a focus on local initiatives like Imagine Community Gardens.
The area of Ontario Street at Hawley Street got its own Imagine Community Garden in May of 2014, after the Washburn Street garden produced more than $300 of fresh produce.
"People just love (the garden) and really take care of it, too," said Freedom Church Pastor Craig Campbell, noting his church's relationship with the garden is really that of a mentor to those in the neighborhood who want to participate.
"What we do is have a team of people that also garden here, too, and they take care of things," he said. "Basically the church maintains it and continues some of the organization of Imagine Community Gardens."
The nuts and bolts of garden organization remain the same: Sign up and garden twice a week or more, then take home what you grow. Community members who cannot garden on their own can sign up for "first fruits," a program in which 10% of the harvested yield is delivered to their doors, Campbell said.
Domaradzki noted that each garden donates produce to local food pantries and that IGC is looking outside its home turf to further grow a successful outreach.
"Currently there are about seven gardens around Western New York," she said. "Two more are slated to go up this year, one in the Sheridan Parkside neighborhood in Buffalo and another in Niagara Falls."
More information can be found at gardensbyicg.org.
