The Food Justice Garden is flourishing again this year!
The Food Justice Garden at Holy Infant Catholic Church, grew 798 pounds of produce in July! Holy Infant is administered by the Oblates and led by Father Robert Rutledge, OSFS, in Durham, North Carolina. The Food Justice Garden is a service program the parish has run for over a decade. The entire harvest is given to those experiencing food insecurity in the Durham, NC community.
This ministry is a volunteer-led effort that invites parishioners and community members of all ages to help address the lack of food as well as the lack of healthy food choices in the communities surrounding the parish. Volunteers plant vegetables and flowers, weed, water, harvest and construct raised beds for planting. They meet regularly to tend to the garden but also to build meaningful relationships.
Throughout the year, the garden grows berries, figs, spinach, salad greens, tomatoes, peppers, okra, potatoes and sweet potatoes, winter squashes, summer squashes, green beans, snap peas, turnips, carrots, beets, and some herbs. These are sent to the Parkwood Community Food Hub, Feed my Sheep Pantry and End Hunger Durham
Vacation Bible School students help at the garden.
During the summer time, children attending Vacation Bible School at Holy Infant did some service work in the garden. The volunteers also run sessions teaching children how to grow vegetables.
The Food Justice Garden harvested close to 5,000 pounds of produce for local food pantries in 2021, topping the 2020 harvest by nearly 300 pounds! This year they are slated to grow even more! To learn about this important ministry, visit the Food Justice Garden.
