Thanks May Lee

Article published Oct 29, 2010
Celebrating a season of growthUnity Gardens' harvest event is Saturday.

By MAY LEE JOHNSON Tribune Staff Writer SOUTH BEND Tribune

There are at least 34 reasons to celebrate the Unity Gardens -- and that's what organizers plan to do Saturday.The Unity Harvest Celebration will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Potawatomi Conservatories in Potawatomi Park.Everyone is welcome to attend and celebrate the end of the 2010 Unity Gardens season. There is no charge.There will be food, a discussion of plans for 2011 as well as a recap of the third season, when the number of public gardens grew to 34.That's a large leap from the dozen or so last year and the lone garden on Franklin Street in South Bend the first year.Unity Gardens founder Sara Stewart said some of the gardens are more successful than others, but they all contribute to the mission of improving community health -- physically, socially and economically.That seemed to be the case at the South Bend Juvenile Correctional Facility's garden, where youths experienced the rewards of growing fresh vegetables with their own hands.The process also helped the troubled students -- boys ages 12 to 16 -- focus on a positive experience and gave them a therapeutic outlet, facility representatives said."These kids had a chance to see where our food comes from," said Geoff Jankowski, a science teacher there. "I was able to utilize the garden into the curriculum."They were able to get their hands in the dirt and actually see the structure of flowers, pollination and photosynthesis."After the harvest, three youths at the correctional facility made salsa from the tomatoes, onions and peppers. They also donated salsa and other vegetables to Catholic Worker House.Esa Ehmen-Krause, superintendent of the juvenile facility, said the garden project was a good fit."All the boys at one time planted, weeded and watered the plants. They worked the garden from start to finish," she said."In the end, they felt great about giving back."And Aimee Shelide, of Catholic Worker House, said they were grateful to be the recipients."This food will help supplement our meals because we eat vegetables all the time. They are a very important part of our mealtimes," Shelide said.The correctional facility garden is in a highly visible spot in the neighborhood and a source of pride for boys, according to Jankowski."It built pride in them and when their parents would leave they could be heard saying, 'Hey, mom, stop by and look at our garden,' " Jankowski said.One more reason to celebrate.
For more information on the gardens or the celebration, call Sara Stewart at 574-315-4361.
Staff writer
May Lee Johnson:
mjohnson@sbtinfo.com 574-235-6326