This season the ECGS is proud to share 'Gardeners' Tales' written by members of the Anderson Park Community Garden.  This week's feature gardeners are Hulitan Family and Community Services Society:

Many hands made light work during the Anderson Park Work Party this October.

Hulitan Family and Community Services Society provides social and emotional support to Aboriginal children, youth and their families living in the Capital Regional District. Access to healthy, affordable food is a major concern for many of the families we work with, so having a community garden plot is a great opportunity to grow healthy food that the families we work with can have access to. We have partnered with Makola Group and Societies, so that families living in Makola units near Anderson Park can come and take part in the gardening. We manage our own plot as well as a Grow Row Share Row plot where about 15 families so far have been able to enjoy in the harvest.

We had a very successful growing season and an amazingly abundant harvest of lettuce, carrots, beans, peas, potatoes and a ton of tomatoes! Our staff took part in a number of workshops the Esquimalt Community Garden Society offered including square foot gardening and planting raspberry bushes and potatoes. A definite highlight was harvesting the potatoes with the determination and boundless energy of a one and a half year old gardener and his mom. 

Halitan volunteers get their hands dirty at this year's Potato Workshop!

Our next steps and vision for the garden is to be able to use our produce in a community kitchen that we are currently developing for the New Year. We are looking for interest and support from the community in the form of volunteer time and monetary support to start up the kitchen. If you are interested in supporting our community kitchen or learning more about our programs and agency please feel free to visit our website at www.hulitan.net or call us at 250-384-9466 - Contact Colleen or April. Thanks ECGS for the great opportunity!