May 26, 2022
As part of the The Garden Club of America’s PARKS: Where Nature Meets Community initiative in honor of Frederick Law Olmsted, the North Shore Garden Club of Massachusetts (NSGC) came across a community-inspired opportunity that sang to them. Beverly Farms Gardens was started in 2016 by local resident John Fallon. The land, an idle traffic island, is owned by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, which authorized use of the parcel to plant produce to be donated to non-profit organizations and food pantries. In 2020, John and his helpers harvested roughly 8,300 pounds of produce grown organically on the 8,000 square foot parcel, all of which was donated to local food pantries, church-run meal programs and nonprofits in need.
NSGC members have enjoyed working with John in the garden, assisting in planting 3,000 onion plants, and later in the season, weeding the gardens. In addition, John has partnered with two local schools, introducing young people to organic farming and the issue of food insecurity. Beverly Farms Gardens is an all-around win-win, and is a partnership NSGC looks forward to continuing.
The Garden Club of America (GCA) is a proud founding partner of the Olmsted 200 bicentennial campaign. The GCA's contribution to the celebration is the unprecedented opportunity for all 199 GCA clubs to connect the needs of their communities with Olmsted’s revolutionary vision for parks and public landscapes by participating in the GCA’s initiative, PARKS: Where Nature Meets Community. Each club project helps their local community public spaces while collectively celebrating Olmsted’s genius for public access to nature across the country.
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