The Potato House Sustainable Community Society is receiving funding through the Job Creation Partnership stream of WorkBC’s Community and Employer Partnerships to build a 1,000 sq ft veggie garden on the property with assistance from a work experience participant.
This project kicked off in April, and will aim to build a garden on the property of the Potato House to contribute to local food security and food growing education.
The Potato House has been undergoing construction over the past year. To prepare for the project, the grounds around the house were cleared and plants, shrubs, and garden boxes moved out of the way. The board and staff have discussed ideas for how to restore the site to its lush, green state and the idea of the vegetable garden was proposed.
There are several organizations in Williams Lake that are currently working on improving local food security, including the Williams Lake Social Planning Council, Williams Lake Community Food Hub, and the Williams Lake Food Policy Council.
The Potato House team feels that this project fits well with each of these organizations. Food security has been identified as an ongoing concern in the community and surrounding area, and the pandemic highlighted the scarcity of available local produce and healthy food.
The Community Food Hub is working toward creating a network of organizations that will be able to grow, prepare, store, and distribute food in our community to increase overall wellbeing in the community. The Potato House is looking forward to being a part of this work and contributing to local food growing needs.
While food security is a key part of the garden project, the main goal is to provide a local resident with valuable work experience. In the past, the Potato House has been able to provide work experience for students and contractors, and we feel that doing so fits well with our work as a community organization focused on sustainability.
Each project that is completed by the organization has allowed us to engage with local contractors, partner with other organizations, and support local businesses. While working on the garden project, the participant will be able to get to know this network of people, and will be connected to opportunities within the community.
The community garden boxes have been a wonderful addition to the organization’s activities over the years. The Potato House has been happy to see friends and family tending to their gardens, and the variety of plants and veggies they have grown. While we will not be replacing these boxes, the Williams Lake Food Policy Council also has community garden boxes available.
As always, the Potato House team would like to express our gratitude for the support received from everyone in the community. We are so happy to be able to continue being a valued part of this wonderful community.
This project is funded by the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia.
Anyone interested in picking some vegetables for themselves is asked to contact the Potato House through its Facebook page.
Amber Gregg is the program coordinator of the Potato House Sustainable Community Society
READ MORE: Potato House receiving $449,000 provincial funding for heritage restoration, rehabilitation
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