The Framingham Housing Authority (FHA) found out about the FSIG program from a city employee sharing the notice on their COVID food security collaborative email group. FHA used their $6,000 grant to partner with For the Love of K, a gardening nonprofit, to install 20 irrigated raised beds on one of their properties. The garden is also accessible to those with disabilities.
For the Love of K donated soil, seeds, and plants. At an opening ceremony in May, a gardening expert spent an hour with the residents to educate them about gardening, down to the basics of how to plant a seed. The event brought the community together, and residents are excited about what they’ll grow this summer.
FHA asked around to find out how other community gardens divided up their spaces, in the end, they split three of the raised beds but left most to one family each. FHA started recruiting garden members with the families that lived closest to the garden and worked their way out. Staff flyered houses on the streets immediately surrounding gardens and quickly got 20 commitments, setting aside a few spots for some elderly residents that had been consistently asking about gardening.
Community gardens are an important resource to build community, provide fresh, healthy food to residents with limited access, and improve health outcomes for some of the city’s most vulnerable populations. This project is a major investment in the community’s health and couldn’t have been done without FSIG.
