Community gardens, where community members garden collectively on a single piece of land, are scattered throughout Lethbridge. Now, under the auspices of Environment Lethbridge, community gardens have a network to provide information and support.
“We are very excited to host the Lethbridge Community Garden Network,” said Kathleen Sheppard, Executive Director with Environment Lethbridge. “Community gardens promote local food security and increase connections between neighbours, which are part of a sustainable urban community.”
Growing out of a working group for the City of Lethbridge, the Lethbridge Community Garden Network has five goals: to improve food security, to increase available resources for community gardens, to increase awareness on the benefits of community gardens, to increase the number of people gardening in Lethbridge and to increase the number of “bumping spaces” in neighbourhoods.
There are 6 community gardens in Lethbridge, 4 of which are located on lands owned by the City of Lethbridge. The Community Garden Network is comprised of representatives from Environment Lethbridge, Chinook Food Connect, Lethbridge Sustainable Living Association, and the City of Lethbridge along with members from the Campus Roots Community Garden, the Lethbridge Interfaith Food Bank and the Westminster Neighbourhood Garden.
“Having a network of experienced people and organizations to draw on will be a great benefit to our community garden,” said Kristina Larkin, with the Westminster Neighbourhood Garden. “We’ll be able to share our experiences and information, to support the creation and development of our gardens and communities.”
In addition to providing space for community members to grow their own healthy food, community gardens provide spaces for residents to be active and meet their neighbours. Anyone who is interested in learning more about the Lethbridge Community Garden Network is encouraged to contact Environment Lethbridge at info@environmentlethbridge.org or www.environmentlethbridge.ca
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