Hunt County Shared Ministries Community Garden
If you pass the Hunt County Shared Ministries (FISH) building on King Street, you may notice the neatly divided garden plots that are ready for planting this year. This will be the fifth year for the program, which has 25 plots available for rent and a large area where vegetables are grown for FISH clients. The gardens were very productive last year, providing the needy with fresh produce, including lettuce, tomatoes, okra, peppers, mustard greens and beans.
“We always have canned goods for our clients, but getting healthy fresh vegetables is more difficult,” said Walter Jeffers, Executive Director of FISH, “so we decided that the best way to have a good supply was to grow our own. In addition, we established plots that anyone in the community can rent for $15 per year. Many of the people who took plots and planted their own vegetables had a surplus that they happily shared with us.”
Recently a group of volunteers cleaned and prepared the garden plots for the coming planting season. Registration for space is open, and plots are available for $15 a year again this season. Each gardener maintains his/her own plot from planting to harvest.
“We hope this program helps more families grow their own vegetables,” Jeffers said. “I would love to see every plot around our building planted this year.”
If you would like to know more about a space in the FISH Community Garden, call the Hunt County Shared Ministries office at 903-455-0545.