Seniors and elementary-aged kids have been getting their hands dirty together for more a decade now in Maple Ridge, and a garden party is in the works to mark the momentous accomplishment.
Momentous, Intergenerational Garden coordinator Marg Spratt noted, because just two short years ago the project was in danger of folding due to a lack of funding. And today, it’s not only still around, but growing and thriving thanks to a series of community partners who saw the program’s importance and who stepped up to help keep it going, said Heather Treleaven, executive director for Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows, and Katzie Seniors Network.
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Next month, the Intergenerational Garden in downtown Maple Ridge is celebrating 10 years of children and seniors “growing together,” Treleaven said.
Every year more than 400 students from Eric Langton Elementary and St. Patrick’s School visit the outdoor classroom weekly during the growing season to get their hands dirty and learn how to grow vegetables, herbs, flowers, berries, and friendships with their elders.
“I’ve been involved since day one,” Spratt beamed. “The garden is my happy place. Having the opportunity to work with the kids and teach them about where their food comes from is so rewarding.”
The 20 to 30 senior volunteers not only teach the students, they also water, harvest, and maintain the garden during the summer months – when the students are on vacation, explained Spratt.
“In the fall, we look forward to showing the children how their plants have developed and making soup together,” she added.
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But the garden and this upcoming celebration is about much more than just the bonds formed between the seniors and their young proteges. It’s about the way this garden has brought the community together.
“In 2020 when the garden faced a funding shortage and the possibility of folding,” some angels came forward in the form of Phoenix Trucking & Crane Service, StrataPro Contracting, the Plant a Seed and See What Grows Foundation, Envision Financial, as well as service clubs like the Rotary Club of Meadow Ridge and Kiwanis Club of Golden Ears, explained Treleaven.
“Businesses like Hank’s Trucking & Bulldozing and Meadows Landscape Supply generously donate soil and gravel and other materials every year that help make it all work. We are very grateful for this ongoing community support,” added Treleaven, who explained that the garden was constructed and is managed by the Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows, Katzie, Seniors Network.
But the support for this initiative goes back to the beginning, she said.
The federal government’s New Horizons for Seniors program provided the original funding back in 2012.
The City of Maple Ridge came on board quickly offering the land where the garden sits.
TD Friends of the Environment Foundation has been one of the most consistent funders of the project.
And, in 2015, the province of British Columbia also provided a $10,000 boost.
Through the years, new features have been added to the garden.
With support from the Whole Kids Foundation, a wheelchair-accessible garden bed and sensory garden were built.
Farm to School BC supported construction of a native plants bed to highlight Indigenous teachings.
And, last summer, the David Suzuki’s Butterfly Way project helped construct a pollinator garden in a little rowboat.
Plus, every year the Intergenerational Garden donates at least 500 lbs of food to the local food bank.
“We are also very proud of our partnership with the Friends in Need Food Bank to promote the Plant A Row, Grow A Row, Donate A Row program,” offered Spratt.
“The volunteers and the children are immensely proud of this!” she said.
To help mark the 10-year milestone for the Intergenerational Garden, the community is invited to a Garden Party on Saturday, June 3.
It runs from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., with the official opening ceremony at 10:15 a.m. at the garden, located at 22527 121st Ave. in Maple Ridge.
There will be tours of the garden, information displays, and workshops, including a workshop on mason bees by A Single Bee at 11 a.m., music in the garden at noon and 1 p.m., Metis herbalist and educator Lori Snyder will be talking about the wisdom of plants.
This is a free event.
For more information, people can email seniorsnetworkmpk@gmail.com, call 604-786-7404, or visit www.seniors-network.ca.
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