Produce grown in the community garden on Carson Drive is being shared with people who frequent food banks thanks to a generous donations of seedlings from a local nursery.
“About a week before Horsefly Nursery was packing up their Safeway location, they generously gave us $200 worth of seedlings to transplant,” said Brianna van de Wijngaard of the Williams Lake Food Policy Council.
Kathy Burtenshaw who helps run the business for her mom, owner and operator Rose Stromsten, took van de Wijngaard through and shared information on how to transplant certain plants.
All of the seedlings were taken to the community garden and planted where there were spaces in the garden boxes.
From there volunteer gardeners took up the torch, tended the plants.
During the last two weeks volunteers have been harvesting the produce and delivering it mostly to St. Vincent de Paul and some to the Salvation Army.
“For something like this to happen you need volunteers to take it over,” van de Wijngaard said.
“We are so lucky to have them.”
Taking a break from tagging trees for customers at the nursery in Horsefly Thursday morning, Stromsten said she’s owned and operated the business for 16 years.
She insisted it’s a family affair.
“My children and grandchildren all help me out. I have the best family in the world.”
While the outlet was stationed at Safeway, many seedlings found homes in nearby yards, and in Horsefly Stromsten also tries to be generous.
“We try to support the community that is always supporting us,” she said.