I have a favorite expression I often share while in my work of community development, "When you walk through one-door, don't be surprised to find 5 more waiting for you."
Meaning: when you take a risk and step out and try something new, in the community, that goes beyond your own circumstances or interests, you inevitably will find a world opportunities to join with others to bless their neighborhoods - together. It always happens!
I can prove it...read on.
As I have shared in a prior post, see how starting up the North City Community Garden (NCCG) has lead to OTHER cool things, like the Lynden Boys and Girls Club starting up their own Garden Club with their own garden plot there.
And now, we have the leadership of the Lynden Christian Health Care Center asking for ideas on what to do with some vacant property they own. This is just across the street from the NCCG garden.
After meeting with Anita
Tallman, CHCC Executive Director, and with Dave Timmer, Director of the Five Loaves Garden, we came up with a plan.The idea is to turn some of the sod into a community garden, that will produce some food for some of the community members nearby and for members of the CHCC staff.
We hope to integrate this effort with the current growth of people taking an interest in community gardening and healthy strategies for food production and the environment.
CHCC is so committed to this effort they are providing enough money for the summer to pay a 1/2 time position so to get this off the ground and operational.
Through the leadership of Dave Timmer, and his connections with A Rocha, a Christian conservation organization, we have been able to hire Walter Haugen to manage this fledgling project. He is proven and skilled in "working" the soil toward great harvests and is environmental sound and sustainable. We are very thankful to have Walter in our midst so our community can learn from him as others join in on the CHCC garden.
[Above - Jeff, Walter and Dave at Woods Coffee]
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