Possible Community Garden
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Posted by
Andrew
We are floating the following proposal at our AGM on Sunday:
PROPOSAL OF NAPIER BAPTIST COMMUNITY GARDEN:
PROPOSAL:
“That the church make use of the secure space behind the church by turning some of it into a garden to provide food for people in need within the church and the wider community.”
INTRODUCTION:
INTRODUCTION:
Our church is looking for ways in which we can “Make God’s Kingdom Visible” in our local community. The location of the church is in a very deprived area of Napier. Maraenui is rated 10 on the NZ Deprivation Index (the scale is 1-10). Our current financial climate is difficult and many think it will get worse before it gets better. This situation impacts the entire country but is especially difficult for low income families. They are the most vulnerable in situations of financial stress as costs and unemployment spiral upward and income spirals downward. To highlight this we can note the dramatic increase in the number of people making use of our church’s foodbank. As a result we are running low on stock and we are struggling to receive more stock from our suppliers. At the moment, supply is exceeding demand with our small foodbank. This year, the Maraenui Urban Renewal Trust has begun a project to encourage residents to plant gardens. This is sponsored by people like JJs Organics and Napier City Council and was highlight on a TV3 News Bulletin (you can also watch the clip at this link). We can therefore link into an already existing community project that is donig good things. In response to these realities, we thought of ways we could support the foodbank and serve our local community. We noticed that the large area out the back of the church (approx. 183 m2 excluding the area behind the auditorium where the trucks come for the paper recycling) was something of a “dead space”. The idea was floated of turning some of this area into raised gardens where we could plant and grow vegetables to give away to those in need of healthy and nutritious food. It is also possible that we could use some of the produce to make pickles, cutneys and other produce to give away.
WHAT WOULD IT INVOLVE?
WHAT WOULD IT INVOLVE?
- Gathering a group of passionate people who are able and willing to look after and maintain the gardens. My idea at the moment is to float this idea past some of our many passionate gardeners and gauge their interest. I would like to form a group of 10 or so familes/people who are willing to look after the gardens for one week out of 10.
- Finding people who are able and willing to build the raised garden beds. This will involve getting the materials at the cheapest possible price. It has also been suggested that some people would be willing to pay for the cost of the materials.
- Some top soil.
- A plan of where to place the gardens so that people are still able to access the different entrances and exits and have appropriate walkways. We will have to allow trucks to get to the paper bins etc.
- Seeds to plant. Some of these will be available through some of our many gardeners and we may also have to buy some.
- Possibly partnering with Napier Family Centre or local social services to ensure the produce gets to people in need.
BENEFITS: - Converting a dead space in our church into a fantastic ministry opportunity whilst maintaining access and walkways.
- Provide healthy and nutritious food for families in need.
- Ease the burden of supply for our foodbank.
- The joy of children being involved in the building, sowing, growing process of the gardens.
- The joy of serving people who are vulnerable and extending our vision of “Making God’s Kingdom Visible” in Napier.
POTENTIAL PROBLEMS: - Security. The area is very well fenced all around with fences ranging from 5 foot to 8-10 foot (see pictures below). However we cannot guarantee that people will not jump over the fences and raid or ruin the gardens. In saying that, there are easier gardens to raid than these! We would address this if needed.
- Loss of momentum and people willing to be involved and the gardens turning to ruin. There would need to be clear leadership, vision for the church to see this as a genuine way of serving the community and a group of passionate people maintained. I believe that with the right leadership and the gathering of many people to be involved (once every 10 weeks is doable), this is a sustainable project. It would be great to involve the children and the youth in this.
- Loss of access. It would be very important to ensure that access and walkways are maintained – especially in terms of fire exit routes. This is simply a planning issue and making sure that the beds are placed in a way that takes this into account. The reality is that this areas is almost never used.
THE AREA WE HAVE IN MIND: 
