Battlefords Family Health Centre's Community Garden Project 2011 opened its garden season June 14 with a garden blessing event.
BFHC has undertaken a diabetes prevention approach through the community garden project. Gardening provides the opportunity for participants to get some exercise, learn about healthy eating, learn about gardening and provides nutritious produce.
Participants also meet new people and help to beautify our community.
"We are excited about the community garden project and its growth over the past five years," BFHC says in a press release.
"Our sites continue to develop each year. We have 25 plots in Battleford and 33 plots in North Battleford. The City of North Battleford, the Town of Battleford and their staffs continue to assist us with the growth of the project. It is hard to believe that we started five years ago with one location and 11 plots."
This year participants marked their plots with bricks and cement pieces. The plot markers represent all the sponsors and partners who come together each year to make this project successful.
As the gardens celebrate a five-year milestone recognition is given Becky Trotchie, home visitor with KidsFirst. Trotchie has been with the community garden since the beginning. She was one of the first participants and each year continues to work hard with the families she works with. She can often be seen hoeing, digging, planting and supporting her families in the garden. Trotchie is a great garden advocate.
BFHC site manager Charlotte Hamilton is also commended for her vision and past garden workers - Marnie, Jen, Sonya, Raelyn, Ashley, Annette, Kent and Eldon - are thanked for their contributions and creativity.
The community garden project also creates reverence for our Mother Earth and what the creator provides for us. Elder Verna Whitford and Harvey Buglar attended the event. Whitford shared an honour song to recognize the gardeners, neighbours, friends, partners and sponsors while Bugla blessed each of the plots with ceremonial tobacco.
Communities in Bloom provides communities with a path for citizen participation in creating an attractive place to live and improving quality of life for all residents and visitors to this community thus creating a strong economic impact through increased tourism. The BFHC Community Garden Project has registered with the North Battleford's Communities in Bloom competition to show off the people, the plants and pride through growing together.
BFHC is a primary health services site. BFHC strives to co-ordinate existing services from a variety of agencies to provide holistic, accessible health care to BTC community members living on and off reserve.
Programs are open to all residents of the Battlefords community, and focus on strengthening the role of disease prevention and health promotion while supporting the involvement of individuals and the community in decision-making around strategies to address health issues.
