Meghan Ibach
Gardens Volunteer
When I came here in February, I could not believe that plants grew here. The day I moved to Alamosa, the temperature gage read: 10 degrees, and that was the high. I was told, “If you can grow food here, you can grow food anywhere.” I liked that challenge, and believe me, it’s been a challenge. Hoses bust, seeds don’t grow, and the wind just keeps on ripping through the garden yard. There is also the pressure of growing food for a community—a community that lacks resources. A community where 1 in 6 of its citizens rely on food assistance. A community who’s environment is at times, unyielding.
The San Luis Valley has some of the highest rates of obesity and chronic disease in our country. A surprising fact, since it appears that Colorado is one of the healthiest states in the nation. Our valley is also one of the poorest, and economic status and obesity go hand-in-hand. Cheap food is usually the most processed, and is full of unhealthy calories. Fresh, whole foods are expensive, and are not always readily available. The food bank and homeless shelter rarely get fresh fruits or vegetables, and usually when they do, they are so near expiration that either the staff members get creative or the food ends up in the compost pile.
This is why projects like the Alamosa Community Gardens are essential to the health of this community. Not only do we work hard to provide fresh produce to the people who need it most, but we also strive to educate our community on how to grow food and how to enjoy it. We put on a free 10-week garden camp, which includes all sorts of educational lessons on bugs, soil, compost, hunger, water and more. We also run a program called Garden-in-a-box, where we give raised bed gardens to people who wouldn’t be able to start a garden on their own. Our goal is to provide the resources for gardening, and hopefully we will inspire them to eat more fresh food, and continue growing it for years to come.
Educating has been a wonderful lesson for myself, but the best is when I get to deliver the food. Every time I bring food to the shelter, guests exclaim “Oooo whatcha got?” Just the other day I brought a bunch of broccoli to the Food Bank and a woman was so happy and said how her son just loves broccoli. Times like these make me smile. But the one story I will never forget, is when two brothers came into the garden.
It was early June, and we had just begun planting seeds outside. It was Friday, and I had just had a small group of community members in the garden for our regular “garden morning.” I had been there awhile, and was packing up to leave, when two little boys came walking up. One was definitely older, but he couldn’t have been more than nine. He spoke up and said “Excuse me, we came to see if you have any lettuce or spinach. We don’t have any vegetables at our house.” I explained to them that this is a community garden, and we ask that people give a little to take a little. He said, “Oh like weeding? Sure we can help.” So we sat down and started weeding together. I learned that they are brothers, whose parents are divorced. Their mom has a lot of back problems, and has had a lot of trouble getting around. Both their parents were struggling with money, and the boys said that they didn’t have much food in the house. They use the Food Bank, but only when their mom can get there.
I learned a lot about their lives. It seemed like the process of weeding helped them spill out their story so honestly, that I felt so sorry for their troubles already happening at such a young age. After just a short time we stopped weeding and went to the hoop house (a greenhouse-type structure). I felt lucky that we actually did have lettuce and spinach ready to go, and I loaded them up. I then remembered a small patch of radish that I had almost forgotten about. It had been harvested some, and really wasn’t much to bring to the Food Bank. The boys were delighted, and yelped at every radish they found. They filled their bag to the brim, and were so thankful for the food. Their bag was full, as was my heart.
This community is full of sorrowful stories, of people trying to get by. It’s also full of beautiful spirits, hardened by winter but strong and resilient. Everyone needs compassion, and everyone deserves fresh, healthy food. These are the people I grow food for.
What’s Been Said…