When the people of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Logan began dreaming of transforming the weed lot taking up half their property into community gardening space, they quickly settled on the name Hope Community Garden. The word hope kept popping up as they envisioned using their resources to address a hunger for food and connections in the community: “We hope we can get the entire congregation excited and involved; we hope we can raise the necessary funds; we hope people will want to come and join in the gardening efforts; we hope we can build relationships and connections; we hope plants will grow and thrive; we hope we’ll get a harvest”.
Volunteers help to fill raised beds at Hope Community Garden
As they drew up plans, they were aware of the many obstacles that might prevent progress, especially finances. A one-step-at-a-time approach, drawn up by Jon Grussendorf, was adopted, with parts of the project implemented as resources became available. “We had big plans, but with limited resources, we knew we had to time-phase our efforts in order to reach our ultimate goal” states Jon Grussendorf, Garden Ministry Team Lead. The congregation first turned to its own members for funding, using the Stewardship for All Seasons (SAS) program. “Our SAS 2020 Appeal involved three initiatives, one of which was 'Caring for the Earth' where we envisioned a community garden which would expand our ability to use the church property to bless and welcome members of the wider community. The following year, Caring for the Earth remained one of our initiatives and, through the generosity of our congregation from the outset, has gone from a vision to reality” states Joan Mahoney, Stewardship Ministry Team Lead.
In fall 2021, the congregation built a gazebo, for which the foundation was poured with labor and equipment donated by a parishioner and friends. The gazebo serves as a focal point for outdoor gatherings of all kinds. A parishioner installed and maintains a Little Free library and a reading bench. An orchard was planted with fruit trees donated by Anderson Seed & Garden, Fonnesbeck, and The Greenhouse; irrigation was installed to these 13 trees. To help with continuous improvement of the soil, a 3-bin compost system was constructed, using wood pallets donated by Caffe Ibis. On an ongoing basis, plant-based kitchen scraps are being turned into a nutrient-rich soil supplement. In Fall, 2022, the congregation was awarded a pollinator garden grant through a program administered by USU Extension and the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food. The native plants and seeds supplied through this grant will grow into a habitat for bees, butterflies, and other pollinators, all of which are welcome and much-needed partners in the garden project. Small grants received from Thrivent Financial and the Rocky Mountain Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America have also supported the incremental build-out of the plan.
Last month, Hope Community Garden was announced as the recipient of a grant for which Danielle Berger, a graduate student at Utah State University (USU) and congregation member, applied. With this $10,000 grant from the Ivory Prize for Excellence in Community Engagement, awarded by USU’s Center for Community Engagement, the full complement of 60 raised gardening beds can be built at once, rather than having to spread this out over several years. The grant will also fund additional irrigation infrastructure, construction of a storage shed, installation of a message board and many other needed gardening supplies.
Hope Community Garden will hold an open house on Saturday May 13 from 10 AM to noon. The public is invited to come and see what the garden is all about. “Hope Community Garden is the epitome of Christianity by bringing people together to build community while helping other people” states Cary Youmans, Congregation President. Interested persons can sign-up to garden one or more of the 12x4 ft raised beds. Email the garden team at hopegardenlogan@gmail.com with questions.
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