More and more inclination towards fast food and fast fashion has remarkably reduced the participation at community gardens, says Lori Merrill, member of Green Thumb Garden Society in Terrace, B.C.
Since their establishment in 2011, the Green Thumb Garden Society has managed a community garden and allocated individual plots to members. There are currently 48 registered members, a count that has seen a drop from 60 registrants in 2022.
"Getting your hands in the dirt is the most healthiest thing you can ever do," Merrill said.
To raise awareness and educate the community about the benefits of gardening, the society is organizing a self-guided garden tour on Sunday Aug. 11.
Part of the Riverboat Days festivities, the tour will feature gardens of Kitselas Five Tier Program, Councillor Dave Gordon, Seventh-Day Adventist Church and several more. The list of the gardens participating with addresses can be found in the PDF copy of the Riverboat Days catalogue and the social media pages of Terrace Tourism and Riverboat days.
In the previous years, the tour was organized and sponsored with the help of other societies like the Terrace Beautification Society, Women and Development Society.
"We're heading the garden tour this time," said Terry Walker, member of the board of the society.
Entrance is by donation, which can be made at any of the participating gardens between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Aug. 11.
One of the major challenges that the society has faced over the years is a steep increase in the insurance prices.
"Insurance is our biggest expense and this is an expense that no grant will cover, so it is an amount we have to raise funds for and it is also an amount that has been increasing significantly over the past few years," Katherine Puchala, chair of the board said.
The society also set up a fundraiser at the Farmer's Market on Saturday, July 28. Selling more than a hundred sunflowers, they raised over $350 in just about two hours. "We sold out at 11 a.m.," Merrill said. "We almost always sell out," Puchala echoed.
The society might have another fundraiser towards the end of August Puchala said, depending on how well the sunflowers grow.
"We are just trying to reach out and make our presence known," said Joan Conway, a member of the board.
