By Kendall Worth!
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| At the North Grove farm/gardens |
Within the past couple of weeks I went to visit this really awesome place located in Dartmouth North. Dartmouth North was my neighbourhood prior to 2013. Back in those days the corner of Primrose and Victory was a Sobey’s store. Now it is a fantastic farm/garden type project located in Dartmouth North and bringing people together.
You can view this video about North Grove and see for yourself.
Note: I also promoted the North Groove in this BLOG post where I said:
“One neighbourhood where neighbours are coming together is in Dartmouth North because of North Grove. They have already done a lot of work to bring the neighbourhood together. Success stories of neighbours getting to know each have come out of the work of this organization”.
Even though North Grove does not provide free food like a food bank, it does provide access to low cost food, and teaches the growing and preparing of food. It provides more than you would expect from a food program. It is a project I love because it brings it brings the community together and provides the community with some hands on farming and gardening experience, which, likely, most residents of Dartmouth North would not have opportunity to learn about ion the past
Following my visit to the North Grove I e-mailed the staff I met, and asked them to send me some information about the History of how this program got started and a description of why the work of North Grove is needed in Dartmouth North?”
They sent me back the video above and the following answer:
“The Community Food Centre opened in August of 2015. At that time the 25,000 sq. foot field beside the Community Food Centre was just grass and footpaths, and over the past 7 years we've transformed it into a really vibrant space. We grow about 3,000 pounds of food each year from the farm. All of the crops on the farm are tended by volunteers, and the harvest is used in our community meals and given away to community members.”
In many of my posts I write about Social isolation and having the opportunity to be a part of this Dartmouth North farm project is one example of an opportunity for people to keep themselves from social isolation and loneliness, and for the community to come together in a positive way. During my visit to North Grove I got to talk to North Grove staff and they all had wonderful things to say about what a great asset the organization is to the Dartmouth North Community.
You could also say this project Relates to Social Prescribing (sic) I have written about in the past, https://worthmatters.blogspot.com/search/label/social%20prescribing because this project does provide a safe and affordable option for people living in poverty, and with mental health issues, to come together, in an environment that is safe and affordable. Also it gives these people an opportunity to learn new Skills.
I learned that on Wednesdays from 9-10:30., there is a community breakfast hosted at North Grove, where everyone is welcome. It provides coffee, tea and a few breakfast items. Also there are other times where meals are provided at the North Grove. If any of you readers are ever in Dartmouth North I encourage you to go check this project out. I visited at Wednesday breakfast,m but there are other times are other times when they serve free meals, just like at a Soup Kitchen. When the meal programs take place at North Grove sometimes there are also Housing Advocates and other supports on site at these times as well. You can find a calendar of events including meals served – it is updated every month - at: https://www.thenorthgrove.ca/calendar
Being someone who once lived in Dartmouth North, my visit made me believe that this project was long overdue. With the large population of people living in poverty, in Dartmouth North, this project is needed, and really does benefit the community.
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