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Collective garden aims to unite apartment dwellers in Pointe Claire
Karen Seidman
The Gazette
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Plant it and they will come.
That’s the philosophy behind the new Collective Garden Project that has been constructed at the Delmar apartment complex in Pointe Claire.
Five years after establishing a food security initiative in the West Island, Bread Basket Lac St. Louis has decided to expand its initiative to include growing produce.
“We want to improve accessibility to fresh produce and foster the idea of improving nutrition,” said Marla Newhook, one of the co-ordinators of the Bread Basket project. “We are hoping that if this garden is part of their community, the people here will take care of it.”
The Bread Basket already operates several community kitchens where people can gather to cook healthy, economical meals in a fun and informative environment. The collective garden goes one step further, and aims to promote social, environmental and economical development. And, of course, to get people to eat their vegetables.
The project came to fruition with the help of the local residents’ committee, Home Depot in Pointe Claire, Cogir and the city of Pointe Claire. There was also funding from the Fondation Rêve d’Esther and the seedlings were donated by la ferme coopérative Tourne-Sol, an organic farm in Les Cèdres.
“This project has been a labour of love on the part of the Bread Basket food security table, as well as the residents and the many people involved,” said Mary Clare Tanguay, president of the Bread Basket.
Margaret Sassoon, a resident at the apartment complex on Delmar St., believes the collective garden is a fantastic idea that will unite the community.
“It will bring us together and get us to support each other,” she said as the garden was being built with the help of 15 Home Depot employees (on their own time) last week. “Some people were cynical about it, but I think when they see how beautiful it is they will come around.”
She also thinks it’s great for children in the community to see all the work involved in growing the food they eat.
“This is promoting better eating habits, which is good,” she said.
The residents will be expected to care for the garden themselves, although project manager Fabrice Kamion figures he will be there about three times a week to oversee things.
“The residents can plant what they want but we’ll offer guidance,” Kamion said. “There has been a lot of interest from the residents. It’s a chance for them to empower themselves.”
“It’s a good thing for the community,” said Philippe St. Georges, assistant store manager of the Home Depot in Pointe Claire. “We’ll probably do the same in other locations.”
Resident Fred Colley, who grew up on a farm, said he was very enthusiastic about the project.
“I’m very anxious to work on it,” he said.