Posted by: Kim_Hamilton on 10/08/2010 08:31 AM
Updated by: Kim_Hamilton on 10/08/2010 10:56 AM
Expires: 01/01/2015 12:00 AM
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Copperopolis Community Garden… Planting a Future ~ By, Charity Maness
Copperopolis, CA...In the spring of 2009 Dena McAfee, Maggie Rollings, Jack Jimenez, Richard DeBussman, Jane Everett, and Sue Funkey came together with the idea of a community garden following the thought of ‘plant a row for yourself…plant a row for the food pantry.’ This idea took shape and grew over time to become a reality with the first planting of ‘starters’ (seedlings with a healthy start) on Thursday October 7, 2010.....
The road was long and hard, finding property to use that would be available to the whole community, finding water sources, donations of plants and seedlings, information on soil composition, seasonal harvests, tractor work, compost, etc. Not daunted with the task that lay ahead the four original members grew to become a much larger group of community active people working toward a common goal.
With the National Gardening Association stating that the average family can grow $600 worth of vegetables with just a $70 investment, the Copperopolis Parks & Recreation (CP&R), a nonprofit volunteer organization, moved forward with the first phase of the garden project in April of 2010 looking for land to lease. That’s when Dena, Jack, Richard and Russ Thomas put their heads together and approached DeNova Homes where they were eventually able to lease land on O'Byrnes Ferry Road across from Lake Tulloch Plaza as the site of a the Bill Albee Memorial Copperopolis Community Garden*. Initially Supervisor Thomas had planned to help offset the cost of water by use of the discretionary fund, those funds have been eliminated, Mr. Thomas will be personally donating funds to offset that cost.
According to CP&R chairman, Bruce Reid, the (approximately 9,000 square foot) community garden will allow participants to grow vegetables for our local food pantry, or for their families. The garden will be modeled on the organic community garden in Paloma (near Valley Springs,) where anyone in the community is welcome to pick fresh produce for their families.
Donations of seedlings and seeds have come from Taylor Mountain Farms (Focus), Master Gardeners San Andreas, Calaveras Lumber, and anonymous citizens. The garden shed was donated by Dogwood Foundation and a Farm Advisor from UC Davis will be donating his time in helping create as close to an organic garden as possible with a tentative community class to be held October 16, 2010 at the garden site.
Though planting has begun in earnest there still exists a wish list. If you would like to help please consider the following donations:
- 4 Battery Timers (for water lines)
- soil
- compost
- garden tools
- first aid kit
- 200 sq feet of insulation (for shed)
- plants, seeds
- volunteers
- monetary donations for purchase of seedlings
For more information or contact numbers please call 785-PARK.
*”Bill Albee Memorial Copperopolis Community Garden" commemorates Copperopolis resident Bill Albee who passed away last year. Bill was a beloved and active volunteer in many Copperopolis community organizations.
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