This last year, with its pandemic and isolation, have been difficult for everyone, and we all are missing our church families. But Spring is coming! How about considering creating or sustaining a church vegetable garden, a wonderful outdoor activity offering easy social distancing, great fresh air, and much-needed fresh produce for local food pantries and neighbors. So grab those seed catalogs from your mailboxes, and start planning your planting strategy.
Once again in 2021, the diocesan Social Justice and Outreach (SJO) Committee will offer grants to fund church garden initiatives. For the last seven years, the diocesan SJO Committee has offered a few (4-8) small grants to support the efforts of creating and sustaining parish-based vegetable gardens. In 2020, five established gardens received funding: St. Brendan’s, Franklin Park; Holy Cross, Homewood; St. David’s, Peters Township; Spring Street Farms at the Community of Celebration, Aliquippa; and Shepherd’s Wellness Community, Bloomfield.
While the SJO budget is very small, the SJO is able to fund these garden grants, in part through donations from the Outreach Commission of St. Paul’s, Mount Lebanon, Women of Calvary, East Liberty, and private individuals. The SJO notes that any parish or individual desiring to donate to this effort should contact Kathi Workman, diocesan Canon Treasurer or Marianne Novy, chair of SJO.
Applying for a garden grant: These grants are intended to support Episcopal parishes and organizations in the Diocese of Pittsburgh to create new vegetable gardens or to support already functioning gardens with small material needs such as: seed or plant purchases, fencing, bed construction, soil or fertilizer purchases, soil testing costs, hand tool purchases, water connections, rain barrels, etc.
Depending on the location and circumstance, we expect that produce grown will be distributed through local food pantries or organization-based outreach efforts. In past years, some gardens have played a significant role in youth education. These grants are not intended to support an exclusive or private garden, nor a garden designed solely for decorative purposes. We have prepared a guide to setting up a small garden; this guide is available by contacting Pat Eagon. Should your garden be selected, implementation will be in early April, 2021.
The maximum grant request for this program should be no more than $500. Funds are to be used in the calendar year 2021 unless an extension is submitted and approved by the SJO committee. Priority will be given to those applications that seek to start new gardens, but the committee will also consider applications seeking to sustain existing gardens that meet the eligibility described in the application. Application forms are available HERE (Word document) and are due via USPS, postmarked by March 12, 2021, or electronically by March 16, 2021. Electronically submitted applications or any questions regarding eligibility can be directed to Marianne Novy or Pat Eagon.