The Airdrie Urban Farm Collective had a record year with donations to the Airdrie Food Bank.
Jana Hooper, a board member of the collective and volunteer, shared they were able to donate a total of 750 pounds of food to the food bank this year.
"Last year, we donated about 400 pounds. Our goal this year was to double that. Unfortunately, with all the pests that came through, we were unable to reach that goal."
Some of the animals that caused some problems for the collective garden included deer, mice and gophers.
"This was still a fantastic year. It was a celebratory time for us that we made it so far."
The collective is a registered non-profit organization. They grow food and learn together as a community of all ages and stages. According to Hooper, they had all kinds of different volunteers this year which was amazing to see.
"People are finally discovering that we're not just a plot that's owned by the church, but that the church rents the land to us, that they allow us to grow there."
Their farm is located near the Daybreak Community Church. Here is a list of all the food that was grown at the farm, with some of it being donated to the food bank:
- Potatoes
- Strawberries
- Onions
- Pumpkins
- Lettuce
- Beets
- Zucchini
- Cut flowers
- Spaghetti squash
- Raspberries
- Garlic
- Herbs
- Sunchokes
- Tomatoes
- Native wildflowers
- Peas
- Cucumbers
- Beans
- Carrots
- Rhubarb
"We say at the farm, we grow food, but we also grow people, and we have grown a lot of people this year."
To learn more about the collective, click HERE. Anybody who joins the collective and helps take care of the farm gets to take veggies home with them as well.
The collective will be back next year, hoping to grow even more food for Airdronians.
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