Members of the public offer input and hear demonstrations about a joint community garden project between the Pagosa Lakes Property Owners Association and Food System/Food Equity Coalition.
The Food System/Food Equity Coalition will begin its Kids in the Mountain Garden program later this month, which will include gardening education, food preparation skills and nutrition education.
By Rose Chavez
Food System/Food Equity Coalition
Some 200 plus community members gathered this past Saturday, July 31, after the annual Pagosa Lake Property Owners Association (PLPOA) members meeting, where they enjoyed barbecue, listened to music, enjoyed the beautiful weather and discussed the future site of a community garden located behind the PLPOA offices in the Vista neighborhood, in proximity to the Vista lake.
The weather cooperated all afternoon and allowed for community members to connect and weigh in on the design and programming of the future garden site. The Food System/Food Equity Coalition and PLPOA continue to take input on the garden through the end summer. Please email community@fsfearchuleta.org with your ideas and input. The Food Coalition and PLPOA are jointly seeking funding for this project and the community will be notified about the timeline for the build-out of the garden later this fall.
Community members are also coming together to grow and share their harvest. Community members with extra produce are donating to the Food Pantry Network through the Food Coalition. This week, community members have donated bags of lettuce mix, chard, kale, herbs and squash. We are grateful for this bounty from our neighbors. These fresh local items are available at all the food pantries in the county. Community members can donate their fresh produce at the Food Coalition’s Food Distribution Center, 543 Navajo Trail Drive, Unit A7, on Mondays between 9 a.m. and noon.
The Kids in the Mountain Garden program will begin later this month, taking place on Wednesdays, Aug. 18, to Sept. 8, from 3:45 to 6 p.m. The program will incorporate gardening education, food preparation skills and nutrition education. This is a family program, with parents (or responsible adults) attending with their children. Each session is limited to 12 families. Interested families can register for the sessions they are interested in attending. Visit the Food Coalition website at foodcoalition4archuleta.org, for the registration form.
