For the second year in a row, Growing Opportunities is hosting seniors at Vancouver Island University's G.R. Paine Horticulture Centre. The group is starting vegetable and pollinator plants for local schools and for our Farm Gate Crate Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) box.
In May, the seedlings will be used at the Farm 2 School BC Spring Celebration at Park Avenue (Five Acres) Farm and Gabriola Island. Growing Opportunities is also donating subsidized flats of plants to five schools in School District 68 and 69.
Participants get hands-on experience in seed saving, seeding, labelling, transplanting, and
caring for new plants. The team got started on March 22 and will be planting every Friday (except Easter Friday) during April from 10 am - 12 pm. Drop-in is available but there is a maximum of eight participants to please call ahead to ensure there is room. G.R. Paine is wheelchair accessible.
We are grateful for the support of City of Nanaimo which provided a Community Vitality Grant for this program, and for the partnership of VIU for providing use of the venue and to Farm 2 School BC for helping coordinate distribution of the seedlings to our school partners.
Thank you to Jesyka Clarkson for leading this program which supports community connections over farming! Last year we had three paid staff leading this program and this year, Jesyka is coordinating all the details singlehandedly.