Fort Worth Botanic Garden volunteers got to work early on Friday, planting and watering garden beds in a gated corner of the grounds.
"Well, part of our mission is to have an impact beyond the gates of the garden," Fort Worth Botanic Garden Director of Living Collections Seth Hamby said.
Hamby wrote a grant submission to the Urban Agriculture Resilience Program from the United States Botanic Garden and American Public Gardens Association that awarded them $19,000 to help fund a community garden partnership with Union Gospel Mission Tarrant County.
Several thousand pounds of vegetables grown throughout the year will be donated to Union Gospel Mission to help them provide nutritious meals to people experiencing food insecurity.
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"So this is one way to do that," Hamby said. "By producing food that goes on to feed people who are in difficult situations."
"This is a love gift to the community to provide them with healthy, stable food for their tables and families," volunteer and Tarrant County Master Gardener Erica Fisher said. "Because it's hard. It's hard to live in a country that has so much and yet still struggling to feed the homeless and care for ourselves. It's a lot to take in. A lot to take in."
The garden also teaches the community and volunteers where their food comes from. "It doesn't come off the shelf at the grocery," Fort Worth Botanic Gardens Project Coordinator Stephen Jayson said, pointing out that growing food in North Texas is tough. "I think most people realize we don't have an easy climate. Either it's too darn hot, or we have ice storms."
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Planting fall crops in the heat of summer is key to having them ready to harvest on time.
"You appreciate it more because you know what it takes to make what you're consuming grow," Fisher said.
"To actually do vegetable production, and that it's going to good use and exceptionally good use; you know it's going to underprivileged and undernourished people," Jayson said. "It's extremely satisfying."
The Fort Worth Botanic Garden community partnership garden project is one of 26 public garden partnerships across the United States receiving money to help educate and address food insecurity in communities.
