Community garden will help families grow organic produce for free

MAPLEWOOD — Volunteers with the Unitarian Universalist Church of Vancouver’s Green Team is building a community garden to alleviate a “food desert” in the Maplewood neighborhood. The idea of the garden was to help families in the area get food they need. “Families here have few options for buying healthy food that’s affordable, so I’d say we’re in a ‘food desert,’ ” Kitty Hibbs, Green Team co-leader, said in a news release. “Fresh produce is not readily available at the food banks. Other community gardens in Vancouver charge a fee and are far away. We want to provide a space here where these families can grow their own organic produce, close to home and for free.” Volunteers applied and received a $2,000 grant to help pay for materials to create 25 raised beds. Once the soil is delivered, the Maplewood Neighborhood Association will start connecting families to garden plots this spring. “It is really impressive to see something at this scale come together so quickly,” O’Shea said. “We can’t wait to get our hands dirty in the garden.” Donations for the Maplewood Moseley Community Garden at UUCV can be made through GoFundMe at https://gf.me/u/y55tj8. Checks can be sent to the Unitarian Universalist Church of Vancouver, P.O. Box 1621, Vancouver, WA 98668; indicate “community garden” in the memo. See other updates at www.facebook.com/MaplewoodMoseleyGarden