Columbia Baptist Church recently hosted an All About Herbs Day during its regular Saturday distribution, in which volunteers worked with clients to plant basil, parsley and vegetable seeds. After utilizing the fresh herbs from the Crossroads Food Pantry to flavor their meals, clients were excited to finally grow their own. After the herbs were planted, they were cared for at the church and then transported to the Columbia Baptist Church Spend Yourself Garden or taken home by clients.
Thanks to the hard work of Columbia Baptist Lay Garden Leader Georgianna Hall, the All About Herbs Day was a great success. CAFB Nutrition Educator Adrienne Griggs was also on hand offering a delicious rendition of pesto pasta to encourage participants to join in the planting of basil while they waited for their orders, since many of the plants were already germinated!
Columbia Baptist Church started their gardens during the spring of 2010 after participating in the Capital Area Food Bank’s Agency Achievement Academy Garden Series. The gardens show clients how to grow fresh vegetables and herbs, and supplement the grocery items they receive from the pantry. The gardens have grown and expanded through the addition of raised beds and the use of Earth Boxes in different sites.
For a partner organization like Columbia Baptist that does not have a large amount of storage for fresh produce, growing food on site has proven to be an ideal way to add to what the pantry is able to offer to the community. To watch their progress and celebrate their successes, LIKE Spend Yourself Gardens – Columbia Baptist Church on Facebook.
Join the food bank at one of our upcoming Food Growing Workshops where we will explore Getting the Most from Your Gardening Experience or Growing Food in Small Spaces. To learn more about food growing opportunities, contact Healthy Eating Educator Abbie Steiner at 202-526-5344 ext. 298 or by email at asteiner@capitalareafoodbank.org. Happy Growing!