April 2008 Vol. 27. No. 4

Published by the Humboldt Senior Resource Center in Eureka, California. HSRC is a non-profit community-based organization offering services for senior citizens, multi-generational families and caregivers.

Fortuna -- Gardening for the heart
No farmers market vouchers
Play ball
Crescent City: Community garden project needs volunteers
Doorstep services -- opportunities for home delivery
Financial abuse ­ Ombudsmen learn how to prevent elder abuse

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Crescent City
Community garden project needs volunteers
by Sharon McKinney

The Community Assistance Network has a garden project going on that needs volunteers to help develop places where seniors and low income people can grow their own vegetables, flowers and fruits.

One of the plots is on the Seventh Day Adventist Church property across the street from the Del Norte Senior Center on Northcrest Drive. Several boxes have been cleaned out and prepared for planting. The plan calls for some taller boxes to accommodate those who want to get their fingers in the dirt and have disabilities that prevent bending down.

Some of the boxes are already spoken for and those people will care for and harvest their crops. They may also trade with others in the garden who have a grown a different crop. There is room for fruit trees and berry bushes, and donations would be welcome. Sweet peas planted along the fence can add color and privacy to the gardens.

Two gardens are planned for Peterson Park, one for vegetables and the other for flowers. Other donated plants, shrubs and trees would make a beautiful spot, complete with shade and cover.

On May 3, CAN is planning a Community Garden Work Day at Peterson Park and hopes to have many interested people come out and help with the project. They also plan to have gardening classes, nutrition advice and places for everyone who has materials or labor to offer.

The High School Special Needs class and its teacher, Nick Jager, have a garden spot, too. The students are busy with plans and preparations for a vegetable garden. Hambro has donated soil enrichment and soil for the beds. The Solid Waste Management office has donated composting bins to the sites.

It is hoped that the community will come forth with its usual generosity to help build these gardens into a wonderful community highlight. Gardening is good therapy for the body, as is the fresh produce, and it is good for the soul, too.

Contact Kerstin Green at CAN, 464-9190 or Stephanie Westerhout at the Adventist Church, 464-2738, for more information about the gardens and how you can help.

Sharon McKinney lives in Crescent City. Her e-mail is shay-jay@charter.net.