Students encouraged to come out for a free lunch while helping bring the garden to life.
The green space garden is primed for planting.
The Student Nutrition Access Program (SNAP) will host a planting picnic on May. 13, inviting students out to plant this year’s community garden.
Running from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Casa Loma green space – located behind the external Tim Hortons on Dartnell Avenue – volunteers will be treated to a free lunch as they make new friends and plant seedlings.
It follows earlier planting work at the Spadina Museum, where students planted a variety of seeds, including three types of tomatoes, kale, basil, parsley, eggplants, and peppers.
The event is open to all students, who can also sign up to volunteer for the rest of the season. Volunteers will support through watering, pruning and weeding.
“The success would be hoping that there’ll be more students interested in volunteering for the community garden and interested in witnessing the plants that they planted grow into like, actual food produce, and just like, continuing to take care of them,” Ruka Watanabe, SNAP coordinator, said.
She also encouraged students to stay involved.
“Because you connect with them, you put them in the ground, and then nurturing them, giving them water, and then seeing that growth along the way, and so hopefully more students can join us. And yeah, witnessing that process.” she added
In July and August, volunteers will help with harvesting and will be able to take home some of the produce, while the rest will go to the SNAP food pantry.
The long-term goal of SNAP is to expand the current garden space, while also expanding the initiative to other campuses and increasing food access for students.
“The more encouragement and energy, and then I’m sure, the more energy there is, then the plants will also grow better, because it’s a reciprocal process. So, we give them energy and they’ll provide us eventually.”
The SNAP Garden picnic is part of ongoing efforts to build student engagement and support food security on campus.
Students can still register to volunteer at this year’s planting picnic on Bounce https://www.bouncelife.com/events/69e251b27f475275a85be223.
