Cloudy skies didn’t dampen any spirits in Ray Kestner Waterfront Park on Saturday afternoon. As kids ran around and played, a group of adults was involved in garden sign making and compost sharing to support each other in local food production.
Called Growing From the Heart, the group is a local community organization that helps connect gardeners with resources and knowledge to help their gardens flourish, with the end goal of increasing access to fresh, locally-grown and nourishing food. They encourage participants to grow more food than they can consume in their households, and distribute it to neighbors and food pantries. Not all food pantries can accept fresh produce, so they keep a list of those that do.
Volunteer Evan Lanese separates out the pallet wood before tearing down the pallets to make signs.
The signs being made were created with recovered wood from shipping pallets and decorated with paints and stencils made with the help of volunteer Evan Lanese and his employer, Chicken Tramper Ultralight Gear, who has workshop space in Hancock they used to cut the stencils.
The compost being shared came from both volunteers and MTU’s Sustainability Demonstration House, which has a special composter. The compost from it is so concentrated it needs to be used sparingly in gardens, at about a third the volume of most compost.
Angie Carter scoops some compost from MTU’s Sustainable Demonstration House into a bag to be taken home.
This event was part of a series put on by partners of the Western Upper Peninsula Food Systems Collaborative. You can join Growing From the Heart on the Western Upper Peninsula Food Systems Collaborative website’s projects page.
“We just want to show people that we can grow a lot here even though the season’s really short,” Angie Carter said.
Carter, a professor in Michigan Tech’s Social Sciences Department, holds a doctorate in sociology and sustainable agriculture. She is one of the volunteers that planned the event.
“Last year we shared 90 pounds of food,” Carter said. “And so this summer we're hoping to share even more.”
Deconstructing pallets for sign-making material.
WUPFSC also worked with the new Portage Lake Seed Library to host a seed planting event in Porvoo Park on Wednesday and will work with the Pewabic St. Community Garden on their indoor and outdoor plant sale fundraiser on May 29.
They have several other initiatives and educational opportunities tied in through partners like the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Natural Resources Department and MTU, and Carter said there are plans to have foraging hikes and other events later in the summer.
Those interested in joining WUPFSC’s projects or attending their events can get connected by following this hyperlink.