Inter-Faith Food Shuttle’s Gardens For Everyone program took off like a rocket ship after launching in 2020, with new raised garden beds completed at homes, community centers, preschools, transitional housing facilities, and other sites throughout the community. Both new and experienced gardeners were shepherded through their first year with support and resources provided by Food Shuttle staff and volunteers.
Participants were universal in their praise of the program. Vanessa Jenkins called her experience “a real joy” and turned to an almost entirely vegetarian diet with the advent of her garden bed. For the residents of the Carolina Duke Inn Hotel to Home bridge housing program, the garden provided a sense of community. “It’s not just a place where plants are growing. It’s therapy,” declared Resident Advocate Coordinator Kala Hinnant. Photo after photo show smiling faces alongside their new gardens—definitely satisfied customers!
To date, 121 Gardens For Everyone boxes have been built, with construction and installation of many more coming soon. As spring is on the horizon, the Community Garden staff is taking on the backlog of applications, and site visits, and garden box builds are once again being scheduled.
Gardens For Everyone volunteers have also built new garden beds at Walnut Creek Elementary in Raleigh for Growing School Gardens, an Agriculture Education initiative that works with schools to deliver hands-on education to students, train teachers, provide after-school programming, and increase access to fresh produce through gardening education.
As prices have risen across the economy, the Food Shuttle has faced a sharp increase in supply costs. Lumber prices have posed a particular issue, and supporters such as the Park Scholars at NCSU are proving invaluable. Volunteer box builders, gardening mentors, and financial supporters will be needed every step of the way to make this bountiful outlook a reality. Learn more and get involved today.