Michele Taylor
Caledonia Courier
Grade 6 and 7 students from David Hoy Elementary were out volunteering their service May 7, at the Healthy Minds Community Garden.
Students were busy unloading and painting posts that will be a part of the fence that will go up around the garden project located just behind the Municipal office building.
Greg Kovaks, with Heathy Minds Peer Support - a peer led support group - said the Healthy Minds Community Garden project initially was for Integration of service users of the mental health system. Since that original idea, the project has grown to include all members of the community, encompassing any marginalized groups, he said.
“It’s something we wanted to do to involve the entire community.”
Kovaks said the garden project, which will be a space for growing vegetables and for community members to socialize, was started with an injection of funds from an Imagine Grant from Northern Health. He said the project is only partially funded at this time and the group is hoping to find additional financial support from the community and grants.
“All the poles were donated by KDL … that helped us out a lot,” he said. “And Lorna and Mel Henderson donated all the topsoil.”
The vegetables grown in the garden will be donated to local charities such as the soup kitchen and the Key, Kovaks said.
If you want to donate your time to help build the community garden you can contact Kovaks at Healthy Minds Peer Support, 250-996-8827.