Community garden brings families together

On July 5, The Ontario Native Women’s Association launched a community garden for use by clients and their families. The launch, which unveiled both a vegetable and a flower garden, welcomed over 60 guests.
The vegetable garden, which has squash, tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, and other vegetables growing, is primarily available to ONWA clients on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons throughout the summer.
Maryanne Matthews, ONWA’s Media and Communications Officer, was impressed by the diverse turnout at the unveiling event.
“It was great to see families out,” said Matthews. “We saw participants of all ages, from little toddlers to Elders.”
Annie Sutherland, who has moved to Thunder Bay from Attawapiskat, attended the unveiling. She explained how gardening helps teach people to work together.
“It’s a community thing,” Sutherland said about the garden. “I learnt about how we depend on each other. It was a beautiful day.”
Despite challenges due to this year’s extended winter, the garden is thriving and those who have been working on it have learned to be more adaptable.
“We’re working on a shorter season due to the decreased spring,” Matthews said. “We’re working with the weather.”
The flower garden, Matthews explained, is available anytime as a place to reflect and enjoy the outdoors. The circular shaped garden is divided into four coloured sections, red, yellow, white and purple (representing black), to signify the medicine wheel.
The vegetable garden provides fresh, healthy vegetables to ONWA’s clients and aims to teach them about sustainability while sharing best practices.
On Tuesday afternoons, between 12 and 2 p.m., ONWA clients may participate in the weekly Community Kitchen. The Community Kitchen incorporates vegetables from the garden into a healthy meal that women can learn to cook.
“We encourage participation,” Matthews said. “We want them to be involved in making healthy, affordably meals. Women can take home recipes and food that’s made.”
Women plant the seeds and tend to them until they grow into vegetables that they later incorporate into a meal.
ONWA aims to work as a voice for Aboriginal women and families across Ontario.