Veggie City is a green project that promotes real world work skills for youth. It offers a chance for participating people to get to know their neighbours in a new way and improves access to local, fresh food.
Veggie City is about environmental and economic sustainability and improving the lives of current residents whether through improved nutrition and health, or through relationships and community connections.
We are starting operations in the Kipps Lane community neighbourhood for the 2011 summer season.
Work will begin the second weekend of May and will continue until the second weekend in September.
People participate by purchasing affordable 'shares' of our collective harvest. Young people will plant, maintain and harvest gardens and distribute an assortment of veggies throughout the harvesting season.
So far, our local partners include:
- London Training Centre
- London InterCommunity Health Centre
- City of London
- Youth Opportunities Unlimited
- Life Resource Centre
- Middlesex London Health Unit
- LUSO Community Services
- TD Friends of the Environment
- Fire Roasted Coffee Company
- The Home Depot Canada Foundation
- Fernlea Flowers Ltd.
- TLC Professional Landscaping
- Tim Hortons
- Forest City Image Centre
- Bonnie Plants
- Try Recycling
- Celebrate London
- Kind Metal Roofing
How it Works:
Young people learn how to grow, maintain and harvest veggies from local resident mentors.
Residents provide physical garden space and purchase a share of the collective crop of veggies grown in the neighbourhood.
Both the young people and the residents share the benefits of organically grown vegetables and environmental sustainability.
Here's an example:
Mrs. Smith has always tended her own vegetable garden, but this year, the work is becoming more challenging. She agrees to offer up her existing garden space for the Veggie City project and purchases a share of the collective crop grown in the neighbourhood.
Mrs. Smith will receive two visits per week by young people from Veggie City who will plant, grow, maintain and harvest the vegetables from her garden space. Mrs. Smith will then receive a portion of those vegetables, plus a share of the crops from other Veggie City resident gardens throughout the summer.
This ensures that Mrs. Smith receives a variety of fresh vegetables, depending on the quantity and availability of different produce throughout the growing season. If one vegetable is doing poorly, due to weather and growing conditions, she will receive other vegetables which are faring better.
Veggie City is a new and exciting program in London, and in particular, the northeast community. Veggie City enhances the vitality, vibrancy, environmental and economic sustainability of the northeast.
Be a part of something new and exciting in your community!
You can show your support by becoming a mentor, business sponsor or resident shareholder.
For more information, contact us at tdensky@london.ca, or post a comment and we will be sure to get back to you!
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