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The plant a seed ~ feed the need community garden at St. Christopher Episcopal church is a donation garden providing fresh organic produce to the food pantry at Interfaith Caring Ministries (ICM) in League City, Texas. ICM provides grocery assistance to about 700 individuals monthly in the Clear Creek Independent School District currently living at or below the poverty level. Each family is limited to 4 visits to the food pantry per year so, technically, they are serving several thousand families each year. The garden adopts the attitude of inclusion and invitation to the individuals it serves, creating a "hand up" opportunity rather than a "hand out" situation. ICM clients are encouraged to participate in gardening activities. The garden is open to all individuals and groups wishing to volunteer in this community outreach project. There will be vegetable and herb beds, fruit trees, a Texas wildflower bed and a children's bed where the kids can claim a foot or two for there own and plant whatever they wish. Growing their own vegetables encourages healthy eating habits. It is an eco-friendly project in that we are encouraging organic gardening practices and reducing the amount of organic material (lawn clippings, coffee grounds, kitchen vegetable scraps) that ends up in landfills by maintaining a compost pile that will be used to fertilize the plants. The garden is funded through individual donations and corporate in kind donations as well as community development grants. Memorial gifting opportunities are also available including park benches, bed sponsorship, and tree plantings. |