Garden Grants Awarded by Diocesan Committee for Social Justice and Outreach

St. Stephen's, WilkinsburgSpring is here and the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh is ready to green it up!

In the last few years, several groups in our Western Pennsylvania region have developed vegetable gardens to help meet the needs of urban and suburban residents who have limited access to fresh produce and healthy food sources.

Sheldon Calvary CampFor the last two years, the Social Justice and Outreach Committee (SJO) has offered a small grant program (maximum $500) to help Episcopal parishes and organizations create new vegetable gardens or to support an already functioning garden.

These grants are intended to assist with material needs such as seed or plant purchases, fencing, bed construction, soil or fertilizer purchases, soil testing costs, hand tool purchases, water connections, and rain barrels.

Once again in 2015, the SJO is pleased to announce the awarding of garden grants.

This year, the SJO, along with generous grants from the outreach commissions at St. Paul’s, Mt. Lebanon, and Christ Church, North Hills, is pleased to announce six garden grants.

Shepherd's WellnessThe projects supported include a new garden initiative at St. Matthew’s, Homestead, and continuing garden support to Holy Cross, Homewood, St. Brendan’s, Franklin Park, Sheldon Calvary Camp, Conneaut, OH, St. David’s, Peters Township, and Spring Street Farms at the Community of Celebration in Aliquippa.

Volunteers are what make our gardens grow and prosper. If you have a green thumb, please consider volunteering at these gardens. Or, if you don’t “dig” working in the soil, volunteer to package, transport, and distribute produce.

Please pray for just enough rain, all good bugs, and lots of luscious and healthy vegetables!