656: Growing, Giving, & making a difference.
A Garden Chat with Jenny Beasley.
On the last Tuesday every month we host The Urban Farm Garden Chats where Greg Peterson has a relaxed conversation in a Zoom room with a special guest to cover useful gardening topics, and they answer questions from the live listening audience. To join us for the next event, go to www.GardenChat.org or
Click HERE to register for the Monthly Garden Chat with Live Q&A
In This Garden Chat:
Jenny Beasley talks about her 12 years working with Heart for the City Community Garden in Arizona. Grown from nothing more than a plot of dirt and a desire to help others, the garden is now a safe space where people exchange food and knowledge with neighbors from other cultures. Jenny recalls the work it took to get the garden off the ground, describes the tending that was required to grow a strong sense of community, and expresses appreciation for the many people who keep it growing.
Our Special Guest:
Jenny Beasley received her certification as a health coach at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York City along with her Bachelors of Science in Business Administration from Northern Arizona University. She is currently the Director of Heart for the City Community Garden located in Glendale, AZ. She became involved with Heart for the City twelve years ago, a non-profit that helps change lives of inner city at risk youth by walking life with them. She was asked to spearhead a 1/2-acre community revitalization project…. a community garden in which they educate Title 1 school children and their families on gardening and provide families ways of growing their own healthy foods. Jenny decided to become a health coach to fulfill her passion of working with individuals to enhance their own well-being, and she is currently becoming a Master Gardener.
CHAT HIGHLIGHTS:
– Starting with a piece of dirt behind a fire station
– Interacting with a neighborhood of 9 different cultures
– Defining the community garden
– Watering the garden
– Growing fruit trees in the garden
– Achieving 24/7 access to the garden
– Seeing “community” happen in the community garden
– Funding the project – grants, donations, partnerships, sponsorships
– Jenny’s initial inspiration
– Paying expenses, reaping rewards
– Finding volunteers
– Encouraging more volunteers and families to come to the garden – the game changer
– Giving the most important gift
Editor’s Notes:
– Check out Jenny’s previous podcast episode 212: Jenny Beasley On Community Gardening
– Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to educate and inspire you! See our classes at UrbanFarmU.com or support us in other ways at UrbanFarm.org/SupportUs
www.urbanfarm.org/garden21dec
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