Working an Urban Garden: A Good Neighbor Fund Idea

Every year we give our c-groups 200 bucks and ask them to get creative in simply blessing their neighbors and the city.  The impetus for the "Good Neighbor Fund" came from Jesus' parable of the good Samaritan where his followers are told to follow the example of the Samaritan in extending mercy, funds, and effort to anyone they come across who is in need.  From the Tukwila c-group comes a project to spend some time in an urban garden, as documented by LaVerne:

On a beautiful sunny Saturday, our Cgroup grabbed shovels and working gloves, and headed over to the Danny Woo Garden, a 1.5 acre, terraced, urban park in the International District of Seattle. Over 100 community plots are tended by both elderly Asian immigrants, as well as younger generations of gardeners who live within the Chinatown community. Karen’s friend Jon, the lead managing director of the garden, gave us a brief history of the garden, and then quickly put us to work on a variety of tasks. He also told us that our Good Neighbor Fund would be used to buy some new rasberry bushes, supplement materials for the chicken coop, and make some additions to the new Children’s Garden within the park.

Gryffin and Sophia start the first chapter of the FFTC- Future Farmers of the Tukwila Cgroup.

The Paes and the Rusts take on worm duty in the compost bin.

Then, Sophia heads up the wheelbarrow team, moving dirt from one end of the garden to another.

Jordan and Lee follow her lead.

Belinda and Brianna are on the “Search and Rescue” squad- they had to dig up struggling herbs and veggie plants from the tangles of weeds and bramble, and transplant them to cleared plots of fertile land.

Nicole takes a break and enjoys the sunshine with Nance and Gryffin.

Nicole and I show off the trellis that we made for future pea vines. Took us way longer than it should have, but we were pretty proud of ourselves!

Karen explains the project that she’s working on with Arree and Kelly in this video…

Belinda and Brianna clear out the morning glory and dandelion invasions from some neglected plots, and get their rescued veggies ready for transplant.

Shane, Jack and Jon had the super macho task of chopping up plant matter for compost with 2 foot long machetes.

It was wonderful to be working alongside some of the elderly gardeners, a few of whom were watering their vegetables, walking the stone pathways, or sitting on a bench and soaking in the view. Several neighborhood families also strolled through, admiring the lush landscaping, and offering friendly greetings to the volunteers.

At the end of our day, we left with a renewed sense of the importance of a place like the Danny Woo Garden in fostering community, particularly in elderly, Asian immigrants, many of whom are accustomed to farming for their food in their native countries. It offers a safe place for them to continue doing an activity that they’ve done their entire lives, while giving them the space to partner with their neighbors in a productive and enjoyable way.

But more than anything, projects like this reinforce the bonds within our own community group, building relationships through a day of working towards a common goal, intertwining our lives for this brief moment, and creating shared experiences that will be remembered for a lifetime.

The Tukwila Cgroup at the Danny Woo Garden, May 8, 2010.