Food bank’s growing season starts

The digging and planting to bring fresh, locally grown vegetables to the food bank at Neighbour to Neighbour Centre has begun for another year.

“This year, we have 20 or so (community gardens),” said Clare Wagner, director of Neighbour to Neighbour Centre’s Hamilton Community Food Centre.

She said the food bank received more than 30,000 pounds of vegetables from 16 community gardens last year.

“We’re hopeful to see that same number or some growth there as well.”

This is the sixth season for the community garden project.

Most of the gardens are on the Mountain and are run by volunteers from churches or partners such as Hamilton Victory Gardens.

One of the new gardens will be a 6,000-square-foot growing site at Captain Cornelius Park on the west Mountain that will supply fresh produce to the food bank and to the community food centre.

Wagner said they have been working with the Rolston neighbourhood group on the project with planting expected later this summer.

The fresh produce is quickly snapped up by the 1,200 households that use the food bank each month.

“It’s extremely popular,” Wagner said.

The food bank will also accept donations of fresh produce from the community.

Wagner said anyone who would like to start a community garden should contact: aangelo@n2ncentre.com.

The community food centre is also the umbrella group for the Hamilton Community Garden Network that includes 90 gardens at city schools and other locations that grow vegetables for families, individuals and community groups.