In Denton County, we have the good fortune of having several community gardens dedicated to providing fresh produce for local families, educating students about horticulture, and helping those in need.
The Denton County Master Gardener Association (DCMGA) has helped with many of our community gardens, establishing the Precinct 2 orchard and vineyard located at the county building on Rosemeade Parkway in Carrollton. Former County Commissioner Ron Marchant was instrumental in the creation of this garden years ago and it continues to this day. DCMGA earned a second-place award in research for establishing the public orchard. Fruits grown in the orchard are given to area food pantries.
At Flower Mound First Baptist Community Garden, church members plant, tend and harvest vegetables and herbs, using the harvest for family gatherings. Community residents also can plant in sections of the gardens for their own use.
As the largest community garden, Shiloh Garden in Denton has grown more than 340,000 pounds of produce in the last 13 years. Families are welcome to help with gardening and harvesting of the crop that is given to local food pantries.
The St. Arbor Community Garden at the Frisco/Little Elm border encompasses more than 1.5 acres where organic fruits and vegetables are grown. Nutritional classes to focus on canning and preserving fruits and vegetables are also provided. The garden project is a collaborative effort with the DCMGA, Little Elm ISD and Little Elm Rotary.
I recently had the privilege of learning and touring a community garden project just south of Sanger off Milam Road.
The 14-acre garden was launched by First Refuge Ministries in 2021 on property owned by New Life Church to help supply a grocery store established in the Linda Tutt High School in Sanger. The project, known as the THRIVE (Together Harnessing Resources to Give Individuals Voice and Empowerment) North Texas program, allows students to operate the store while also helping families and individuals in need. The THRIVE program, under the leadership of Texas Health Resources, is currently being created with other school districts in the region.
With assistance from Texas Health Resources and DCMGA, the Sanger community garden has produced 2,397.6 pounds of produce to date.
The organizers have created a master plan to potentially expand the scope of the garden known as Community Strong Farms. The plan includes adding a hoop green house, an orchard, a composting classroom, a community garden where families can grow their own fruits and vegetables, and much more.
While the plans are still under development, this project represents yet another opportunity for entities to collaborate to further develop additional resources for those in need of nutritious food and to educate our future generations. I am especially excited that Rotary Clubs here in Denton County are partnering with each other to apply for a Rotary District 5790 matching grant to install new sustainable infrastructure for this garden. As the District Governor for Rotary District 5790 this year, I have placed food insecurity as a top priority for service projects and am pleased our 64 local Rotary Clubs across North Texas are working individually and collaboratively to help tackle this problem.
Like the Victory Gardens planted during World War I and World War II, many work together to provide land, instruction and seeds for individuals and communities to grow food for themselves and to help others. Throughout both World Wars, millions of victory gardens sprung up across the U.S. to help feed families and the troops.
Almost 80 years later, Denton County is at the forefront of an initiative to collectively work together to feed our neighbors nutritious food and to educate our younger generations – an initiative for which we should all be proud.
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