Bailey Stroll and Tony Nguyen
21 minutes ago
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Each week in “Serving the Ozarks,” OzarksFirst highlights great organizations in the community and gives back by providing free lunches for their staff and volunteers.
This week's focus is the Springfield Community Garden, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to make fresh, local food available to everyone.
OzarksFirst stopped by the Midtown Garden on Division Street this week to learn how staff and volunteers get fresh produce from the ground to people's tables, and the knowledge they're sharing with future farmers.
“When you can eat your food closer to harvest time and know where it comes from, you know there haven't been loads of synthetic fertilisers sprayed on the produce, you find it's healthier, more nutritious and tastes a lot better,” farmer and resource development manager Anna Withers said.
The organization was founded in 2010 and has since grown to include 16 gardens across the city.
“We want to bring agriculture back to some of these areas. We have a lot of land in Springfield. Why not put it to good use, train people and educate them,” asks Bill Blair, site manager for East Stamford Market Garden.
The programs they have created cover all aspects of agriculture, from horticulture, farming and foraging education to sharing harvests with neighbors and beyond.
Every Wednesday they participate in a food distribution at Weller Elementary School.
Food hub manager Rachel West said they serve about 60 people each week.
“We also have drive-thru delivery. We get our Ozark harvest and other gardeners bring in produce as well. … Like last week, our gardeners brought in bags of basil, bags of parsley, bags of tomatoes.”
This can be done by putting in hard work every day throughout the year, but be sure to also accompany it with educational materials.
“But in terms of educating the public: 'Hey, do you have a cucumber that's too big? Did you know you can grill it? Or did you know you can mix the leftover blossoms into a salad?' I try to come up with food solutions out of leftovers or vegetables that are a little out of season,” West adds.
Springfield Community Garden serves the Ozark region through building and supporting community.
