This tale begins with a Mom on Maternity Leave during Covid. With a sleepless baby and a toddler to care for, she joins every Facebook group on Gardening in an attempt to put her backyard to good use and entertain a growing family at the same time. Flash forward 3 years later and this Mom is now an administrator for not 1 but 3 Facebook groups. One is the Vancouver Vegetable Gardening Group (VVGG) and the other is her local Buy Nothing group.
After hearing about the NSG, I thought it would be a wonderful thing to bring together people from all my groups and plan a community building Meet Up near the local playground. This way, group members and neighbours could bring their kids to socialize and learn about growing their food.
Members of my VVGG group were approached to do workshops, such as : How to grow your own sprouts, DIY Home Hydroponics and Health Benefits of growing your own food.
Advertising was done in various groups as well as the local Neighbourhood House and Gathering Gardeners group.
Gardeners brought seeds, seedlings and harvests to share and trade.
People brought their own Tents, Chairs and Tables, and we planned it Outdoors to keep costs low.
I provided bottled water, juice and snacks for the children and participants using NSG funds.
Workshop providers were gifted tokens of appreciation for their time, and supplies for the workshops were sourced by myself as well as the providers. After the event, I offered lunch for all the Volunteer helpers.
Overall the meet-up was very successful and I have the guidance and support from NSG to thank for that. VVGG members and neighbours are already asking when the next meet-up will happen! Stay tuned for more!