Canada: Homeless residents in Prince George find happiness — and food — cultivating community garden
A community garden in Prince George offers food security and self-worth
By Bernice Chan
CBC News
Aug 16, 2022
Excerpt:
This fall, there will be vegetables to harvest from a community garden in downtown Prince George that is being cared for by avid gardeners who live in a homeless encampment there.
The Moccasin Flats garden was started by local advocate April Ottesen, who is helping homeless people in the community grow their own food.
“I used to run a restaurant for a long time, and I got more and more interested in horticulture and working in community gardens,” she said.
“I also spent a good deal of my life concerned about food security as a restaurateur. I feel like this is my mission to create edible food forests where people can access food that they need to eat guilt-free. I think people feel better when they are growing food and when they are working in the soil.”
Otteson says they have planted a variety of vegetables, including potatoes, tomatoes, squash, zucchini, pumpkins, cabbage, broccoli and peas, along with berry bushes, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and calendula, borage, kale and amaranth.
