Richmond Hill Community Empowerment Project

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A Community That Gardens Together, Grows Together! Let’s GROW !!! 

With Friends In The Garden, will be “planting a church” In The Garden and bringing people in Communion with the Earth and each other, creating Sanctuary and Fellowship amongst the rows of plants and friends. Please note: this is NOT religious in nature or a particular denomination. It is coming together as humanity and creating relationship with each other, the earth and the healing bounty of nature! 

In a world full of scrolling screens, fake food, and hectic schedules, we have been disconnected not only from each other, but from the land and from growing our own food and being sustainable. Most children think the grocery store is where food is from and few have eaten real homegrown food. We grab fast food while on the go that only slows us down, and sit in front of screens rather than putting our feet and hands in the ground. We are more connected with strangers across the world than our neighbors right next door. And we toss valuable natural resources in the landfill that could be used to create gardens and grow nutritious food for our communities. 

Now more than ever it is important that we know our neighbors and have reliable friendships and partnerships to get us through these uncertain times. To have a sense of place and somewhere that we can go to comfort our souls when the world seems too much. And to be able to sustain ourselves and each other. 

The gardens will also include a walk-up Wellness Bar that will offer handcrafted Garden Goodness.  We will be composting food scraps from the Wellness Bar, residents, and local restaurants. We will also be collecting yard waste from the community to build the soil. We will be reusing the grey water from the wellness bar with all the juicy bits and rainwater irrigation systems to water the gardens. 

And we will do all of this Together as a Community!  

This is a true Grassroots Movement and Community Empowerment Project! 

Boots on the ground, hands in the dirt. Face to face and heart to heart. 

To accomplish our mission, we will need generous donors, active volunteers, members and strong community partnerships. We hope you will be inspired to become a #FriendInTheGarden! 

Our Action Plan includes: 

Acquiring the land to “plant the church” to grow food together as a Community, creating Food Security and a Local Food Systems. 

• We are asking for a Legacy Land gift of a minimum of 3 acres, but of course more land means more food! It must be located in Richmond Hill, as that is where I have been planted and called to serve! We will be posting a more detailed Land Partner Requirement List soon, but if you have or know of potential land, please reach out! 

• We have just been awarded a $5000 Golden Grant from McDonalds to plant a Watermelon Farm with a popup Wellness Bar to serve fresh watermelon juice to the kiddos in the Community! We are partnering  with the schools and community as well as planting the Watermelon Farm on the property once acquired. The kids LOVE watermelon juice: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cx-lsgWM2hn/  

               We made it on the news !!!: https://www.wtoc.com/2023/11/30/friends-garden-wellness-ministry-awarded-5000-by-mcdonalds/

We will be promoting Environmental Sustainability and Stewardship of the Land by using yard waste and kitchen scraps to create the garden soils and reduce waste going into the landfills. Greywater and rainwater irrigation systems will be used to water the gardens. 

• I have partnered with the RHMS 7th grade Agriculture Sustainability Class and have a team of 10 students that have been working on this project with me to take what they are learning in the classroom and do it in the real world for the community. Check out our field trip here and what we could do with an empty lot: https://www.instagram.com/p/CyOBjM3Aktr/

• We are working with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance to create a Community Composting Program to collect the yard waste and restaurant kitchen scraps. We hope to have the support of the City of RH and Bryan County to reduce waste and create healthy soils https://ilsr.org/composting/

We will inspire healthier lives and communities through Social Connection, Sharing Cultural Practices and Communing with Nature. 

• I am a Community Partner with the RHHS Agriculture Club and garden each day after school with the students. On those really tough days, it all melts away as soon as I connect with my Friends In The Garden. We play in the dirt, share garden nibbles, pull weeds, talk about life and laugh together! It truly is Sanctuary. 

• I live in a neighborhood of 614 houses and I have never felt more alone and isolated living in this type of society. We need more spaces and activities to come together on a daily basis as Community on Common Ground.

We will offer Affordable WellCare for all by building a walk-up Wellness Bar in the gardens, a Farm Stand, and Production Facility for handcrafted products and homegrown produce from the gardens

• Creating this together as a Community and not overpricing products and services for profit is the biggest reason for establishing the nonprofit and being In Service to the Community. Growing food doesn't have to be hard when we do it together and eating healthy isn't expensive when you are picking fresh from the garden. Most importantly, we want to be able to serve as many as possible, no matter their financial circumstances. 

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it is the only. thing that ever has ~ Margaret Mead 

In The Garden Wellness Ministry is a 508c1A Private Nonprofit Faith Based Organization. All donations are tax deductible. EIN: 92-0560940