Loyola collaborative garden creates “beautiful space”
By Joel Ceausu
The Suburban
Mind, heart, mouth.
The connection between the three is undeniable, with no better example of it in play than a garden. Specifically, the mind.heart.mouth garden at Concordia’s Loyola campus that welcomes volunteers three times a week.
Working the soil, examining leaves, caring for fruits, and watching for pests is done by dedicated volunteers; students, interns and a small army of seniors from NDG’s New Hope Senior Centre in the Full Circle Garden project partnership that has spanned four seasons.
Every volunteer shift, seniors leave with a share of the bounty, and it can be bountiful: last year they grew 4,200 lbs. of organic vegetables, says New Hope director Evita Karasek. “No pesticides, and a lot of hands to grow such beautiful produce.” For example, “the Swiss Chard is perfect because someone has examined its leaves for days, so the quality is extremely high, the nutritional value is incredible.”
“We grow everything that we can,” said garden project coordinator Andrea Tremblay, whose PhD research looks at using nature-based social and community labs to explore ways to increase resilience in marginalized communities. That means “all the basics: carrots, onions, eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, squash, broccoli have been a big success. So have kale, Swiss Chard, beats, cabbage, beans, radishes and of course lettuce.”
From May to the end of October, some 20 older adults from New Hope have signed up to come for their Wednesday shifts, with about a dozen regulars doing a variety of tasks each week. The harvest serves four streams: students and senior volunteers; ingredients for New Hope’s Meals on Wheels program (delivering some 400 monthly meals) and in-house lunch programs; and 20 weekly vegetable baskets. Karasek says this intergenerational initiative distinguishes itself in many ways, especially its inclusivity. “It’s open to people with any mobility level. Some plant beds are accommodating for wheelchairs, raised beds for people with issues bending and other limitations.”
That’s precisely the point, says Tremblay, who launched the project in 2019 using garden-based pedagogy to increase awareness and greater connections with natural environments. It started out to combat food insecurity, which 40% of Canadian post-secondary students live with. “There’s no better lesson than experiential learning. That means people getting their hands dirty. Literally.”
Karasek says people of all ages have suffered food insecurity, especially with the rise of inflation since Covid. “Prices are incredibly high for nutrient-rich locally-grown produce. And this is such a beautiful community space for people to be in. People relate, participate, they create bonds and talk about food and preparation. It’s intergenerational and cultural.”
Tremblay’s goal is for people to feel empowered by the work they do in the garden, and to not feel limited. It’s also very valuable for seniors who once may have had a garden but no longer have the energy required to keep one. “Social engagement is one of the biggest takeaways. For six years it’s always been the community social aspects that form in the garden. People talk, especially when New Hope comes on Wednesdays. We really want it to be a space of community working with the students and the seniors.” The program also involves other groups, including Gay & Grey and Bienvenue à NDG.
“It’s more than just a place to grow food,” says Karasek. “It’s about learning, creating a community hub.” Learning indeed. Tremblay herself had no official horticultural training. “I just learned by doing,” she laughs, “like most everybody else. And I sort of became an expert because I’m there every day!”
Check out the gardens at Loyola campus, behind Hingston Hall at the end of Terrebonne. n
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