August 2019
COMMUNITY NEWS
RenfrewCollingwoodCommunityNews.com
Collingwood Community Gardens celebrates milestone anniversary Join the party on Saturday, September 7, 11 am to 2 pm by Ken Gracey Gardeners and community members will spend a late summer day celebrating the 15-year anniversary of one of Collingwood-Renfrew’s hidden gems. Collingwood Community Gardens (CCG) is 15 years old this year, and its members are holding a neighbourhood celebration, with local business support and a Vancouver Foundation grant. Tucked away on the eastern edge of Joyce-Collingwood station, the garden creates opportunities for people to grow food and interact with their neighbourhood. The garden, the first to be built on TransLink land, was started by a small group of enthusiastic gardeners with the support of Collingwood Neighbourhood House (CNH). At the time, community gardens were not that popular, and the first members put in many hours establishing the garden. “In the beginning, we had trouble getting people involved,” says Silvia Hagen, a long-time CCG member, who has seen membership grow and plot requests increase substantially over the years.
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Children from CNH’s daycare harvest a Halloween pumpkin from the garden. Photo by Jermaine Kwok
The original garden plots were dug into the ground and a fence was constructed by members. A year later, an area west of the original garden was sectioned off and a second fence was built,expanding the number of available plots.
Collingwood Community Gardens plots in 2004 catching some rays on a sunny day. Photo by Silvia Hagen
Salvaged wood, sourced by Hagen, was used to con-
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Janet Lee
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