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A GROWING MISSION:  THE SAANICH COMMUNITY FOOD BANK GARDEN

Established in 2007, the Saanich Community Food Bank Garden is a practical project that provides fresh, nutritious food to the Mustard Seed Food Bank in Victoria BC.  The idea to plant a garden arose from a desire to be good stewards of the Saanich Community (Mennonite Brethern) Churchproperty, to create a place to learn about sustainable food production, and to provide people with a practical way to help others in need.

Each year about 20 types of vegetables, fruits, and herbs are harvested, including carrots, beans, onions, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, asparagus, rhubarb, squashes, beets, turnips, oregano, parsley, chives, grapes and apples.

Relationships are nurtured as people labour together, caring for both people and plants.  The garden is tended entirely by volunteers who decide what, where, when and how to plant.  Volunteers come from our church and the broader community.  Consultant expertise comes from garden volunteers and ‘friends of the garden’.

Since its inception, the garden has produced thousands of pounds of produce that are delivered to the Mustard Seed Food Bank in Victoria weekly or biweekly from May to October.  Saanich Community Church is one of the few places that donates fresh produce to the food bank.  The nutritious produce goes into the hands of needy folks as soon as it is received at the food bank.

New volunteers are always welcome.  For more information, please contact the church office (250-479-0410) or email SaanichFoodBankGarden(at)gmail(dot)com.

 

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“We believe the universe and everything in it belongs to God the Creator. God has entrusted the care of the earth to all people, who are responsible for managing its resources. Good stewardship uses the earth’s abundance to meet human need, but resists the unjust exploitation of the earth and its peoples. All God’s gifts are to be received with thanksgiving and used responsibly.” -MB Confession of Faith, Article 15

At Sannich Community Church, we take Creation Care as part of our confession of faith seriously.  Through involvement with A Rocha, we arrange bird-watch hikes, plan nature walks, and work with the municipality in removing invasive weeds from parklands.

We also have a native plant garden at the front of our church property, and a vegetable/fruit garden at the back of our property that produces food from May – October which is donated to the local foodbank, for needy families in Victoria.

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