Westminister United Church Orangeville

Sharing Recipient Stories

2024 Dufferin County Community Grant Recipient
$3,000

Sharing our story

Westminster is changing its lawns to food using sustainable practices. Asparagus, blueberries, kale, chard, rhubarb and more are already feeding our community.

Sustainable practices, such as no dig gardening disturb the soil as little as possible and apply fertility on top of the ground rather than mixing in with the soil below. The no dig gardening method recognizes that living organisms play an important role in overall plant and soil health.

The three pillars of this project are climate justice, food security, and building community. Specifically, we intend to reduce our carbon footprint by 80%, contribute to the Dufferin Climate Action Plan, feed people nutritious food, teach simple ways to grow food, contribute to the Headwaters Food Charter Action Plan, nurture community and address the loneliness epidemic.

The Westminster green space will be beautiful, feed people’s bodies and replenish their souls, [re]connect people with the earth, be a place to learn to grow food, include a no-mow recreation space, be an example of various ways to grow food, will lower Westminster’s carbon footprint significantly, foster and create community connections amongst individuals and organisations, and will address food security in our community by providing food for grazing and contributing to Westminster’s food justice programming.

Over the summer months people in the community picked tomatoes, peppers, herbs, rhubarb and joined in workshops to learn about gardening, and joined workshops to make pickles and jelly.

Westminster Garden Transformation Project, 247 Broadway, Orangeville, L9W 1K6, 519-941-0381, www.westminsterorangeville.ca, outreach@westminsterorangeville.ca, Cheryl Curtis – Garden Transformation Project Coordinator.

We are deeply grateful for the grant and your confidence in us to deliver a compelling program for the community.