Food bank gets its gardener

Homeless Partnering Strategy provides money for co-ordinator

The Glace Bay Food Bank will use several thousand dollars from a federal government program to hire a co-ordinator for its garden.

The Homeless Partnering Strategy will provide the necessary funding.

“We’re ecstatic,” said Sandra MacPherson, a co-ordinator with the food bank. “It’s such a relief off our shoulders to know that we will be able to continue with the garden project and our co-ordinator Kim (MacPherson).”

Sandra MacPherson said the community garden is important not only for providing fresh produce to clients.

“Kids are offering to work in the garden in the summer and clients are taking plants homes and learning gardening,” she said. “They are getting engaged. When our clients realize they can do something like that on their back step then they will expand it.”

The Homeless Partnering Strategy is providing $11,000 to pay for the garden co-ordinator who will be employed until the end of October.

“It was an easy decision by my board,” said Billy Hill, a coordinator with the Homeless Partnering Strategy.

Last year, the Homeless Partnering Strategy provided $2,200 in startup money for the food bank’s community garden.

“We were very pleased with the results.”

Hill said speaking to Sandra MacPherson last week he discovered the food bank wanted to hire a garden co-ordinator.

“Like all proposals for funding (the request) has to go through a review process and be approved by a board,” he said.

Hill said the community garden is seen as a project not only for growing fresh produce but also as a project that will engage volunteers and clients for years to come.

“If you can engage them at a young age you’ll probably keep their support and engagement throughout their whole life,” he said.

“Kim MacPherson has a green thumb like nothing I’ve ever seen before. However she also took the project to another level going into the schools.”

The food bank was unable to secure funding from United Way Cape Breton. Lynne McCarron, executive director of United Way, is also on the Homeless Partnering Strategy board and Hill said McCarron was supportive of the funding request.