Trinity's Community Garden Starts Year 2

Garden season is finally here! The snow has melted, the garden is ready with aged manure, we’re ready to  plant and we need you! This spring marks the beginning of the second year of our community garden, one of 12
community gardens in the Grow Local urban community garden network. Grow Local's vision is to build, nourish, and nurture community through establishing and growing urban gardens. Through Grow Local, each garden is assigned a Master Gardener and provided resources and support.
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Community gardens are intended to be shared with the community, and if enough produce is available, with food pantries. Our garden engages residents of Centennial Neighborhood and contributes to St. John’s Food Pantry. The garden is an important part of our neighborhood because Trinity is in the middle of an urban food desert, where residents must travel 1 mile or more to the nearest healthy food vendor. You can learn more about urban food deserts at www.trinitylafayette.org/garden. On top of that, nearly one in six people in Tippecanoe County are food insecure, which means that while most people have a source of income, there is a gap between what they earn and what they need to provide three meals a day for their family. Food insecurity has far-reaching impacts in neighborhoods, classrooms and the workplace including health issues. Tippecanoe County has one of the highest rates of food insecurity in the state of Indiana.

Mel Shoaf returns as our Garden Manager. This year Gloria Thompson will be the garden volunteer coordinator and Julieann Davis will be our Master Gardener. But, our garden and the Garden and Grill meals cannot thrive without volunteers. Did you know that last year, approximately 63 million Americans (or about 25% of all adults) volunteered 8 billion hours, valued at $193 billion? That’s a huge contribution to our communities! Your experience, skills, expertise,
enthusiasm and passion are valued here at Trinity. 

Get involved with the garden!

1. Volunteer to tend the garden. Volunteers will be assigned partners and rows to tend throughout the summer on their own time. There is a mandatory Garden Training Session on Sunday, May 6 immediately following church. Lunch will be provided. If you are not able to attend, you will need to schedule a time to meet with Mel one-on-one prior to or on their first work day to do the training. Contact Gloria Thompson, Garden Volunteer Coordinator.
2. Join us for the Garden Planting Day on Saturday, May 19 at 1 pm. Rain date is Sunday, May 20 immediately following church (11:45 am). We will be planting tomatoes, beans, cabbage, cucumbers, green onions, beets, chard, lettuce, radishes, carrots, and spinach. Signs for the garden will also be assembled that day.
3. Volunteer with the Garden and Grill Meals on June 12, July 10 and August 14 at 6 pm. We will be grilling outside and eating inside. We want to connect with groups that are often marginalized and continue building relationships with our partners and neighbors including Home with Hope, the Domestic Violence Shelter, Fowler Apartments, and Wabash Valley among others. Volunteers are needed to bring side dishes, set-up the food, clean-up dinner, and act as table hosts. Contact the church office if you are interested in helping with the Garden and Grill Meals.
4. We still need a volunteer coordinator for the meals who will contact the meal team each month and find out who is bringing what and who will be setting up/cleaning up. If you are interested in helping in this capacity, please contact the church office.
5. Mel’s Garden Challenge. Each year, Mel plants an extra plant in his vegetable garden at home and donates the produce from that plant to St. John’s Food Pantry. He challenges every Trinity gardener to do the same. Dedicate a plant in your garden this summer to feed the hungry in our community.

If you are interested in helping, please contact the church office at info@trinitylafayette.org or (765) 742-1288