The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
GIVING GARDEN A LABOR OF LOVE
Chardon Square Association funds, tends back alley patch of green to feed the hungry
Heather Means admits she didn’t quite know what she was getting into when she took charge of the Chardon Square Association Giving Garden four years ago.
“I am not a gardener; I do not have a green thumb,” she said. “The first year, we just threw things in there and hoped for the best, because I didn’t even know what I was doing.”
But she has found that she has grown along with the garden since then, and it has become a labor of love.
The Giving Garden was begun behind Main Street businesses in 2015 by former CSA president Tom Bryant, to serve those in need in the community via the food pantry at Pilgrim Christian Church across the square.
“I wanted the organization to help shine a light on hunger in Chardon (and) Geauga County, while at the same time upgrading the visual appeal of the back alley,” Bryant recalls. “When I dug into the situation, I learned that fresh produce was in great demand at all food banks.”
“It may have been my idea, but as you can see, it ‘took a village’ for it to come to fruition.” — Tom Bryant
He garnered the support of city council and reached out to McCaskey Landscaping to get a price on creating the 23-foot by 51-foot space. The total, funded by CSA fundraisers, was about $8,000. Roughly $600 is budgeted annually for upkeep and vegetables.
Expenses have been offset in recent years by a discount on plants from Country Meadows Garden Center down the road.
A dozen or so volunteers help with planting, weeding and watering during the growing season, and community groups such as local Girl Scouts/ Brownie troops have assisted as well.
“It may have been my idea, but as you can see, it ‘took a village’ for it to come to fruition,” he said. “The first year, 26 bushels of produce went to the food bank at Pilgrim. It has performed as envisioned ever since.”
Nowadays, the garden produces enough for multiple donations per week to the pantry, Means said.
“We’ll wash it, bag it up and drop it off,” she said. “We try to put it in family servings.
“Over the past couple of years, I’ve been trying to tweak the garden so it’s easier food to prepare.
Items include green beans, potatoes, onions and tomatoes. Lots of tomatoes. She estimated the garden will yield about a thousand by the end of summer.
“It’s like Jumanji back there,” she said.
Occasionally, there are problems with vandals or those she has “caught red-handed” helping themselves to the tomatoes, despite a sign indicating the garden patch’s purpose.
“For the most part, people respect what we are doing,” she said.
Fundraising will be more challenging this year, following event cancellations related to COVID-19 restrictions.
The church food pantry, known as Ida’s Cupboard, has seen a 65 percent increase in families seeking assistance in the last two months, according to the ministry’s board Chairman Paul Hederstrom.
“We went from 75 families a month, on average, to 125 families per month,” he said.
Means noted the demand on the Little Free Food Pantry across from city hall.
“The people who are food-insecure or living paycheck to paycheck is greater than people realize,” she said. “So this project, in particular, I’m very proud to be a part of.”
She acknowledges that it’s good for her soul in other ways, and she spends many hours there after her day job at the American Cancer Society Discovery Shop. She also serves on city council.
“I like being back there; it’s cathartic,” she said. “I would definitely say it’s a stress-reliever.”
More help is always welcome, she added.
Anyone wishing to donate or volunteer is asked to contact the Chardon Square Association. For more information, visit chardonsquareassociation.org.