THE FRANCISCAN Community Garden
“Not only have we grown vegetables here, we’ve grown relationships!”
The Franciscan Community Garden, located off Leesville Road in Raleigh, NC began in 2011. The garden’s founders heavily emphasize a respect for and desire to take care of the environment. Even before the garden began, some members of the church were connected with a local organization called Care of Creation Ministry. Every month the committee would gather and ask the question: What can we do to help the environment? Pat, now the director of the community garden, reminisced to the early years of the Franciscan Community Garden, communicating that St. Francis is the patron Saint of Ecology, so she felt it would be good for them to have a garden.
“I said to the ministry one day when we gathered: ‘I think we should have a community garden!’” “I need to be careful what I say,” she continued “because everyone in the room looked at me and said “Then, you do it!”.
And so they did! A few members of St. Francis proceeded to write a grant for the garden and St. Francis provided the start-up money for the project. The group spent many hours researching and gathering advice and ideas from other local gardens, Wake County Master Gardener, and N.C. State. They soon discovered many ways to access free seeds and compost. One of the ways they did this was through Plant A Row for the Hungry at Logans.
“I don’t know when Logans started Plant a Row,” Pat said “But from the very beginning we were involved. The support and encouragement we’ve had from Logans is really wonderful. One of our big missions is to raise food for local families.”
Their first year, they had about four people who consistently came week after week to help in the garden, but over time that number grew and now they have at least 15 people who come consistently. The garden was the product of many individuals' contributions and hard work (both members of the church and in the local community). For example, Deb Nelson, the “Founding Mother” of St. Francis Garden taught many of the volunteers basics, guided them through set-up and continues to provide wise counsel to those involved in the garden.
“I always consider the garden a real miracle because anytime we needed something the right somebody popped up with just what we needed. For example, at the very beginning, someone donated red cedar for the first two beds.”
The caretakers of St. Francis Raleigh Community Garden emphasize a beautiful respect and care for the environment and for people.
“Not only have we grown vegetables here, we’ve grown relationships!” Pat proudly stated.
Though some Saturdays volunteers at the garden may not have been motivated to go into the garden, that lack of motivation wouldn’t last long:
“We’d get there and see all our garden helpers and we’d leave with a lot of joy,” she informed me: “Every Saturday is joyful!”
Here’s a big thanks to St. Francis Community Garden for serving the community, caring for the environment & staying full of joy!