Mound Church Launches Community Garden to Support Low-Income Families with Food Growth

Mound, Minn. — Tami Clark Pehrson found unexpected nourishment when she visited Bethel United Methodist Church. A newspaper advertisement led her to the church, but she discovered a community garden filled with lettuce, onions, and asparagus.

“I did pray for a garden. I wanted a garden to do something,” Clark Pehrson said. Her life had been uprooted when she was laid off, like many of her neighbors in Mound. The garden offered her a way to reconnect with her family and find purpose.

Clark Pehrson’s children also benefited from the garden. “Both parents are laid off now, and if you get the kids involved, they are here in the dirt, playing, learning what our history was all about,” she said. The garden became a place of connection and learning for the entire family.

Last year, church leaders created a community garden to help low-income families and seniors grow their own food. The initiative, called GROW Gardens, is an acronym for Giving Roots of Westonka. Jessie Pinney, one of the founders, explained that the biggest challenge in Mound is the lack of open space. “There is no open area, everyone has trees in their yard, it’s a very shaded environment,” she said.

The GROW community garden was made possible through a grant from Gardening Matters, a community gardening organization. Outreach coordinator Margaret Shields noted that Mound is one of eight Twin Cities communities without access to local food, especially during an economic crisis.

“High gas prices and transportation costs for food have made it harder for people to access fresh produce,” Shields said. “There’s also a desire to feel more connected to the communities where people live and where their food comes from. That connection has been lost over time.”

Clark Pehrson agreed, emphasizing the importance of teaching children to eat vegetables. “To teach the kids to start eating vegetables, I think we’ve gotten away from that by spending our money at fast food places,” she said.

In the second season, Clark Pehrson found more than she had hoped for. In a small plot, she discovered a sense of purpose and community. The garden became a source of hope and sustenance for her family.

Gardening Matters encourages other communities to follow the GROW Gardens model. They are offering a community garden mini-grant program for the 2012 season in the eight food insecure communities. Five mini-grants for up to $1,500 will be awarded to gardens started in those areas as part of Hennepin County Healthy Eating Minnesota. Applications are due by April 22.

Interested applicants can also attend an information session on April 4 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Brookdale Library. Westonka residents can apply for plots at the downtown GROW gardens. Twenty percent of the produce is donated to the West.

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