Celebrate Community Growing to Give Day in Thornhill

YorkRegion.com
Aug. 21, 2014
Simone Joseph

Seeds For Change is hoping to implant a love of volunteerism and community service this weekend.

Residents are invited to join Seeds For Change representatives, York Region politicians and Vaughan Fire and Rescue staff this Sunday, Aug. 24 to harvest, wash and donate fruit and vegetables to community members in need and the Richmond Hill Food Bank. 

Seeds For Change’s 2015 campaign is an initiative to promote healthy living and good food education by growing 2,015 new food garden plots by the year 2015.  

Dignitaries from Vaughan, Richmond Hill and Markham are taking on a friendly competition, asking residents to participate in Seeds For Change’s 2015 campaign. Vaughan has registered 83 gardens — among them the first firehall garden,  a high school in Woodbridge, two elementary schools, a second firehall plot planned for next year and a community garden being planned for Vaughan City Hall.

Markham has 40 registered gardens, including gardens at two elementary schools, plus an additional five gardens planned through the Children’s Learning Organic initiative — with more than 400 in the making through the Markham Organic Home Gardens program.

Richmond Hill has 49 registered — including the community garden at L’Arche Daybreak and the first seniors garden at Dunlop seniors apartments.

Both Vaughan and Markham have community garden policies now in place and Richmond Hill’s policy is a work in progress.

On Sunday, information booklets and organic seeds, collected from the garden, will be provided in exchange for a donation.

Seeds For Change is a grass-roots community organization that grows healthier communities through school and community gardens. It provides free, engaging, hands-on programming for all participants from toddlers through to seniors.  

The gardens, in under-utilized spaces, promote cross-cultural and inter-generational relationships, improved health through increased physical activity and the opportunity to eat nutritional food, while learning critical life skills. The Community Growing to Give Day will include celebrating this season’s successes over a lunch, donated by Whole Foods Market in Unionville, as well as entertainment.

The special event  will be held at the Community Garden, Firehall #7-1 at 835 Clark Ave. W., Thornhill, from  10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The ceremony begins at 10 a.m.