A new community garden project has cropped up in Barrie’s backyard.
The project, called Planting Black Roots, was started by Olivia Brewster about a month ago but was recently taken over by Jordan Ford.
The project, taking place in four of the community garden plots behind Eastview Secondary School, aims to connect families of colour to plant a seed on new friendships.
“She started the garden because she has a super green thumb,” Ford said in an interview with BarrieToday. “She wanted to bring the community together. We brought a big group of people together of families who are Black or who have Black children.”
As of this week, Ford says about 16 families participate in the project. The families meet on Sundays at the plots to spend time maintaining the gardens, and organize taking turns with watering and daily maintenance throughout the week through their Facebook page.
“We’ve said to the kids, this is their thing. If they put in the work and learn how to garden and make vegetables, we get to eat them when they’re ready,” said Ford. “The idea was really to bring more Black children together so they can meet each other and make new friends.”
The plots, plants and supplies were all donated by local businesses and individuals. While some families came to the project with gardening knowledge, some are still learning.
“Luckily we have a few more green thumbs in the group. I’m learning everyday,” said Ford, with a laugh. “The kids love it.”
While current COVID-19 restrictions mean the gardeners all have to stay at least six feet apart while participating for now, Ford says new friendships are still blooming.
“There will be some cool connections that will be built outside of this that families are making with other families who live close by, or do similar things,” said Ford.
The group is always looking for new members and donations. If you’d like to get in contact, reach out on the group’s Facebook page here.
