Containers, soil and seeds are available for anyone looking to start growing their own food, thanks to Rena Cook and the Community Garden Outreach program.
Containers, soil and seeds are available for anyone looking to start growing their own food, thanks to Rena Cook and the Community Garden Outreach program.
WILLCOX — Rena Cook has a good idea. It will take a while but she knows it has potential to pay off, and she can help feed hungry people at the same time.
All it takes is some soil, a few seeds and a good deal of sun. And a porch. It cannot be done without a porch. Or perhaps a yard, or a terrace or a balcony, just somewhere where things can grow.
“This is my reinvention of the Victory Garden,” Cook said.
The idea is called Community Garden Outreach, a part of the Mind, Body & Spirit Co-op, a non-profit organization. It’s possible through a grant from the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona and it works like this: Cook provides the containers, vegetable seeds and rich soil. You provide labor, a porch and water.
The point, Cook said, is to provide food for people who are homebound for whatever reason and who find they may not have enough food or resources. In addition, if enough gardeners get together, they can combine their crop and sell it back to the food bank, thus making a little bit of money, too.
Homebound for Cook does not necessarily mean handicapped.
“That could mean single moms, people who don’t have transportation or even someone who is taking care of someone who is sick,” she said. “Or what if you’re a teenager, and you don’t have a car yet? There’s so many reasons why people can’t get out and about.”
It is Cook’s hope to expand the program to nursing homes, senior housing and centers, anywhere where people might like to garden. Even if you cannot care for the container garden, or don’t have the physical ability to plant one but would still like one, there could be volunteers for that service, too. In fact, Cook is looking for volunteers to do just that.
The first person to take advantage of the planting program is Wayne Bowdoin. He’s enthusiastic about the possibilities.
“Free pots, free soil, free seeds, you can’t beat it,” he said. “All you have to do is add the water and a little tending and fertilizer, and watch it grow.”
