Bayfield communal garden aims to tackle food insecurity

By Samantha Lawson

A new communal garden is about to break ground in Bayfield with the intention of bringing community members together to grow food for each other.

The garden will be located at 2 Jane Street in Bayfield, behind the building that houses the food bank.

Owner and lead facilitator of Seeds Rooted, Janneke Vorstveld, is the driving force behind the project.

Vorstveld said the idea for the garden first came to her when she was thinking of ways to support the Bayfield Food Bank.

“I think a lot of us get drudged down by everything that’s happening and we don’t know what to do, and I thought: I can grow food. If I can help with anything I can help with food security,” Vorstveld said.

Vorstveld has been an avid gardener for over 20 years and said community gardens can produce an average of 1.43 kilograms of produce per square metre.

With the rising cost of living and increased demand at food banks, the garden will donate 50 per cent or more of the harvested food to those in need.

Vorstveld said the aim is to provide an immersive and intimate space that cultivates a deeper sense of community and connection.

“I’m just the one who I feel like is lighting the spark, but for this flame to grow it needs to be community oriented, there needs to be community volunteers and community support and without that it won’t be successful,” Vorstveld said.

The communal garden will be comprised of four raised planter boxes for now, including one wheelchair accessible box that is being built by Goderich high school students.

“We figure that if we start small and it’s successful, and people see what we’re trying to do, then it will grow naturally without a problem from here,” Vorstveld said.

Community members looking to donate to the project can find “wish lists” set up at Home Hardware in Goderich for items such as wood and screws, as well as at Gold Coast Landscaping in Bayfield for soil. Customers can purchase a needed item and leave it with the store, knowing exactly what the money is going towards.

Cash donation jars can also be found at six locations around Bayfield: Shopbike Coffee, Parkside Sandwiches and Variety, Paula’s Pastry Shop, Captain Harry’s, and Rosie’s Ice Cream Shoppe.

“I really do think that if we come together as a community, we can put a dent in food insecurity in Huron County. If we come together, we can feed each other,” Vorstveld said.