The sun was shining, the birds were singing and smiles were found on every face as members of the Cedar Crest Society weeded their plots at the 100 Mile Community Garden on Tuesday morning.
The 100 Mile Community Garden can be found just behind the 100 Mile Lodge and Conference Centre nestled in a beautiful bright spot. There anyone and everyone in the community is invited to come rent a plot and try their hand at growing food and flowers.
Watching the clients of the Cedar Crest Society have fun in the dirt brought a smile to Dawna Lace’s face, the unofficial manager of the garden. She’s had a plot at the garden since its founding in 2006 and works for the Cedar Crest Society as a community support worker, which also has a plot for the clients to garden in.
Lace works with adults with diverse disabilities every day and said that COVID-19 has been a little stressful for both her and them. Restrictions have kept many of her clients cooped up inside, more than usual, so they jumped at the chance to get outside and do some gardening on Tuesday, all observing social distancing.
“It’s great, we’ve been inside all winter and these guys have been confined at home a lot right now so this is just excellent for them to get outside, get fresh air, sunshine and socialize,” Lace said.
Overall, since the fires, Lace said that the interest in renting and working garden plots have been low but COVID-19 has sparked more interest in people. There are around 17 garden plots available at the community garden which are rentable for $20 a year.
“It’s so wonderful to have your own fresh vegetables and the Cedar Crest crew, they love watching things grow and come out of the ground,” Lace said.
She encourages everyone to give gardening a try and hopes everyone has a safe year this summer.
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