Potatoes and beans and pumpkin – oh my! The Good Works Garden in Fyshwick is now growing an array of colourful and fresh produce for Vinnies Blue Door to transform into nutritious meals for Canberrans who need it the most.

Creating an opportunity for Argyle Housing residents to tend to the garden and increase their sense of inclusion and community, volunteers from Vinnies will also be raking, weeding, and watering, along with any Canberrans willing to get their hands dirty for a wholesome cause.

Located on Dirty Jane’s long paddock in a Fyshwick carpark, the Garden was recently awarded a community garden grant by the ACT Government and has been built thanks to many generous community donations.

Federal Member for Canberra Alicia Payne MP was also present to unveil a plaque to mark the latest in the Project instalment – a community tree planting adjacent to the garden, part of the Queen’s Jubilee Project.

Once the trees are fully established, they will provide a “beautiful, shady space” and Ms Payne said she heard there are plans underway to place tables underneath the soon-to-be canopy.  

She said she was “pleased” to support Argyle Housing’s application for the project, and it will be a “beautiful reminder of the Queen’s life of service”.

Ms Payne said the Good Works Garden is a great example of community and business uniting to build a fantastic place where the community can come together and learn to grow food, and connect together.

CEO of Argyle Housing, Carolyn Doherty, said she was particularly excited about the opportunity for people to volunteer their time to grow and provide food for vulnerable people in the Canberra community.

“It’s a really important opportunity for residents to come together, to reduce their social isolation, connect to the community and find a sense of purpose, and also an opportunity to learn new skills, growing food and learning to prepare food as well,” Ms Doherty said.

“Healthy food is really important for everybody in terms of general physical and mental wellbeing and that’s why Blue Door is such an essential service for us and the residents at Ainslie Village.”

She said when people are regularly able to access healthy meals it contributes to their overall wellbeing, thereby reducing the strain and impact on the broader community and pressure on a range of social services.

CEO of St Vincent de Paul Society Canberra/Goulburn, Lucy Hohnen, said Vinnies engaged with the Blue Door Program to learn what kinds of food they would like and what would work best within their program, which was the seed that grew into the Good Works Garden.

She said all sorts of wonderful produce will be grown in the Garden, including salad items and vegetables.  

“All sort of fast-growing produce initially… and it will eventually be a really productive garden,” Ms Hohnen said.

“We’ve got quite a good list of volunteers at the moment, and we’re always looking for more. If you do want to volunteer to be part of this fantastic initiative, then do get in touch with us.”

Founder of Dirty Jane’s, Jane Crawley, said she believes it’s very important to be engrained into the community and she just saw the space and saw the need.

“Here at Dirty Jane’s, we sit on an acre and a half of land, and it was a vacant, what we call the long paddock,” Ms Crawley said.

“I really look forward to days of volunteers coming on site and working in the garden, knowing that it’s going to Blue Door Kitchen, and knowing that people are learning about gardening and it’s a beautiful, friendly, respectful space that they can come to.

“It’s this beautiful energy that comes from people giving and working together… it’s just so nice to bring everyone together and to create something that’s got such a positive community spirit.”

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