Last month, my local Almuni group volunteered to work at the Capital Area Food Bank Urban Demonstration Garden.  The CAFB works with over 500 partner agencies to distribute food to people suffering from hunger.  The purpose of the Urban Demonstration Garden is to promote nutrition education and demonstrate ways to grow food in urban settings.  They hope to teach their partner agencies to become more efficient by growing food at a low cost and to bring produce into areas that previously had no access.

The garden demonstrates how to build containers and beds out of recycled materials (for cost purposes).  They are different sizes and heights to demonstrate different uses – higher for people in wheel chairs, for example.

In addition to demonstrating what to plant when, and how, they teach about composting and how to build greenhouses (seen at top right).  They even have an apiary!

Our main task was to help dig rows for in-ground beds – hard work!  The garden is entirely dependent on volunteers for all of it’s work.  So please, if you are able – give a little of your time to help them out.  Just be prepared to sweat.

To learn more: email MJ Crom at mjcrom@capitalareafoodbank.org.