By Pam Wright
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Habitat for Humanity Chatham-Kent’s community garden is on the grow.
The project, now in its second year, recently expanded, thanks to a contribution from the Hydro One Community Fund courtesy of Mayor Darrin Canniff and councillors Conor Allin and Brock McGregor.
Launched last year thanks to seed money through a Chatham-Kent Community Fund grant, this year’s $4,743 in funding paved the way for the installation of six new raised beds, making it more accessible for volunteers who pitch in with weeding and harvesting.
“We thought we would bring in large raised beds,” said Anne Taylor, Chatham Habitat’s director of partnerships and stakeholder relations. “That way, everybody could participate. That’s really where the idea came from. We’re kind of piggybacking off of last year’s grant and making the garden better.”
Taylor said Habitat recognized the garden is an excellent way to engage individuals and organizations, helping them learn as they participate in growing free produce for local food banks and tiny pantries.
According to Taylor, Habitat’s Junction Road pantry is a busy spot.
“We’ll make sure that’s always stocked with fresh vegetables so that will get used up very quickly,” Taylor explained. “Just as fast as it goes in, it leaves just as fast.”
At the recent unveiling of the project, McGregor said projects like the raised beds are important as the community gains big benefits from modest investment.
“One of the great parts about the (Hydro One) funding is that the ideas come from community groups that have a vested interest in particular projects,” he said, adding it’s not a “top-down approach.”
“There’s a real passion for this project,” Canniff said of the garden. “Look at how many volunteers are coming together. The Hydro One funds open the door to tap into the passion of our community.”
The Hydro One Community Fund has helped out with 170 projects in the municipality to date. In 2022, Chatham-Kent signed a 10-year agreement with the utility, allocating $550,000 annually. The mayor gets $125,000 to allocate each year and each councillor has $25,000.
A number of local businesses have pitched in to help the Habitat gardening project this year, including Pebbles Gravel and Topsoil and Jayden Construction who helped with the soil. As well, the owner of Gypsy King planted the ground-level plot.
