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 This will happen through tending the garden
together, education, and community partnerships, with the goal of
enriching the land, the community, and the health of all who
participate.
The project's first venture, The David W. Schroder Memorial Garden,
is located at 114 S. Logan Street in Lincoln. The garden seeks to be
a sustainable place that will include composting, native plants, and
eventually rainwater collection. In time, the garden also plans to
add walking paths and seating, create a space to host events, and
cultivate a pollinator garden.
Developed by Bethany Buscher and Rachael Judd, both residents of
Lincoln, IL the garden project has been in the works since mid-2021.
During this project community members and community organizations
have provided input to create a project that serves the whole
community. Angela Stoltzenburg, Director of Community Health at
Lincoln Memorial Hospital shared her hope for the garden saying,
“Strong communities are healthy communities. We all have a shared
desire to live our healthiest life possible. The Lincoln Community
Garden Project is an outstanding example of how we can all work
together to create local opportunities and spaces for our better
health.”
Bethany Buscher, acting as Garden Steward, will oversee the setup
and production of the physical garden with the community being
invited to participate in tending to and caring for the garden at no
cost. “The amount of community support this project has already
received is overwhelming. The joy of having a space to garden is
only exceeded by the excitement of seeing the community cheering
this program on in such a huge way,” Bethany shared recently. The
garden will host open gardening hours for any community member
interested in participating beginning Saturdays in May which will
expand as the season continues. Food
raised in the garden will be given to community participants,
donated to local food pantries, and sold at local Farmer’s Markets
to support the ongoing care of the garden.
In addition to providing the community with healthy food, the garden
will also be used as a place to connect with local students by
creating a hands-on educational space. In conjunction with the Logan
County CATCH Schools, students will be able to learn about the
benefits of growing local crops in a sustainable way, healthy
eating, and will experience the joy of growing food for their whole
community.
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Rachael Judd, Community Partnership Advocate for the project,
sees community participation as both the key to success and the goal of the
project. “Each contribution of time, donations, ideas, and support are essential
to creating a community space that serves everyone. Each encounter with a
community member or community program has already made the garden a better place
for us all to be.”
As the garden begins, the community is invited to participate in its growth. On
Earth Day Weekend the garden will host a Garden Clean Up Day on Saturday, April
23rd from 9am – Noon with Lincoln Memorial Hospital. Anyone interested is
invited to come prep the garden before the first season begins. This season
community members are invited to work in the garden during open garden hours
beginning Saturdays in May, join in a garden compost drive, and for those with
construction skills, invited to participate in the ongoing building of raised
beds. Any community member looking to make a donation of time, a financial
donation, or donation of supplies can do so by contacting the garden directly.
Thank you to a generous donation and the ongoing support of the David W.
Schroder Family, the first garden plot will be named in honor of the longtime
Lincoln College Professor and Master Gardener. A master at many things, Mr.
Schroder desired for his students and his community to “cultivate their own love
of cultivation” as he had throughout his life. This first garden and all who
participate is a step toward seeing that hope realized right here in the
community of Lincoln.
Come out and say hello to the Garden Steward, Bethany Buscher, and get connected
to the garden project this Saturday, April 2nd from 9am - Noon at the Lincoln
Park District Open House.
You can also follow the garden and its progress on Facebook at Lincoln Community
Garden Project, send an email to
LCNCommunityGarden@
Gmail.com or reach the
garden directly at (765) 460-6104.
[Rachael Judd] |
