Lots of vegetables will grow over the summer at Canyon Lake’s new Community Garden in front of the CRRC Rec Center on Mabel Jones Drive.
Methodist Healthcare Ministries wrote a $5,000 check to help organizers working on a shoestring budget develop 25 plots for community members to rent and grow their own produce.
A special area called Helping Hands will be used to grow produce for nonprofits like the CRRC of Canyon Lake’s food pantry.
President Barrett Hansen said an herb garden and even an orchard are planned at the former Jo Ed Lyles Community Garden, which fell into disarray after his death in May 2023.
In February, she and several other volunteers began repairing and replacing the weathered, raised beds, “transforming them into vibrant new spaces for our plants.”
Community members can rent plots for annual fees ranging from $20 to $60 and keep everything they grow.
Hansen said gardeners will receive free dirt, water, shovels and some soil amendments.
“You supply whatever you want to plant, nothing perennial or invasive or illegal, and you enjoy the rewards,” she said. “Advice is free and readily available upon request.”
She hopes to attract master gardeners who are required to donate 20 hours of expertise to certified gardens.
The gardeners’ efforts drew the attention of Methodist Healthcare Ministries Wesley Nurse Tricia Mathis, RN, who organizes free, weekly ‘Food for Friends’ community dinners at Canyon Lake United Methodist Church.
She asked Hansen to apply for the grant.
“I got to thinking that one of my goals this year is to be more involved in different things in the community that are not so much patient-centered, patient-focused, even though that’s one of the big things I do,” she said.
There’s always salad at Food for Friends.
Mathis thought helping the community garden also would allow her to connect with members of her church congregation and residents of Canyon Lake.
“I think there are a lot of people who want to be involved in different things but they may not know how,” she said. “I really think that there is something spiritual and cleansing about having your hands in this dirt.”
Gardening is grounding and allows her time to reflect, she said.
Mathis asked Rev. Polly Angle of Canyon Lake United Methodist Church whether the church would be interested in renting two plots to grow food for the community. The congregation signed up for two plots.
Rev. Isidro Pina, San Antonio-based Pastor for Spiritual Care and Regional Services for Methodist Healthcare Ministries, said a lot of grant applications cross his desk but when he saw the application from the Community Garden in January, he was impressed.
“You know, this is one of the projects that we love to help … this is what we do. We try to help our communities,” he said at a formal check presentation on March 26.
Methodist Healthcare Ministries works to enhance the well-being of the people and places in its service area to achieve health equity so “all can thrive.”
According to its website, health equity is a framework of thought and action that strives to reduce racial and socioeconomic disparities and create fair and just opportunities for everyone.
For more information or to apply to rent a plot email canyonlakecommunitygarden@gmail.com.