MANSFIELD, Ohio – The sweet aroma of mint leaves could be smelled as members of the 200th REDHORSE Squadron raked, tilled and got the land ready for the community garden located behind Hedges school. It was apparent the land had been gardened before.
The locally based squadron and the 179th Airlift Wing, both of the Ohio National Guard, partnered with the North End Community Improvement Collaborative (NECIC) on an Earth Day project to break ground and build garden beds at several community gardens around town.
“This is a great opportunity for us to get out in the community. We’re all from this community, so it’s great to give back,” said Master Sargent Beth Kilgore of the 200th REDHORSE.
The land behind Hedges school is being used as a community garden which will be organized and kept up by Children’s Cupboard, said Nathan Gailey, a volunteer with the outreach program aimed at helping families and youth from the city’s south side of town with homework, food, and the like. The program is housed in the Hedges school building and operated by Pam Rembert.
Several members of his church, Hilltop Community Church, volunteer Monday through Thursday with the program and can see the benefit of having a community garden.
“When I started helping out here [Rembert] said they had a garden in the past and some of the kids enjoyed it but they just didn’t have people or resources to maintain it so they didn’t do it last year,” Gailey said.
In addition to learning the skills associated with gardening, the children will also have food to take home to share with their families, he said.
Over at the Community Welcome Garden on Benton Street, other members of the 200th Redhorse helped to construct garden beds and weed out existing ones already on the property owned by New Beginning Baptist Church, located on Marion Avenue across from the garden.
Belinda Morgan, Antoinette Daley and Larry Anderson, members of the church, help to maintain the garden, as part of the church’s outreach program.
“Our garden is totally different than any other garden, because [residents] come and get the produce daily,” Morgan said. “We come up here and take care of it but we actually never see the food…and that’s community.”
Any community member is welcome to take any food from the garden, but Morgan asked that one pulls a weed or waters a plant while there.
On Blust Avenue behind the Ocie Hill building, members of the 179th Airlift Wing helped turn the land on three vacant lots, which once held three dilapidated houses, into a Community Teaching Garden by helping to construct garden beds, till the land and rake dirt.
Students from the IMAC School, Mansfield Elective Academy and Mansfield Enhancement Academy also spent the day volunteering with the Air National Guard members.
The teaching garden is a project of NECIC, whereas the other community gardens are run by local garden organizers with assistance from the non-profit organization’s small grant program, said Jean Taddie, community garden/local food program coordinator.
“NECIC will be working with the whole community by teaching people how to grow food, and most of this food will be used for [the North End Farmers Market] so folks can learn how to grow and sell food at the farmers market,” Taddie said. “This teaching garden is really for all ages, we will partner with the school kids nearby as well as adults from around the community are welcome to participate. We will also have programs here and volunteer opportunities. It’s a learn by doing type of thing.”
Kanye Young was excited to let Chief Master Sargent Tom Snyder teach him how to use an electric drill to put the garden beds together.
“It is awesome,” the 11-year-old said. “This is my first time using one but now I know how to use it when I get older.”
For more information on community gardens, contact Taddie at 419-525-3101.
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