Welcome to Gainesville Giving Garden, a community led non-profit farm, which strives to enable equitable access to quality food and the benefits that come with healthy eating! Located in Gainesville, Florida, this garden exemplifies what can be accomplished with inspiration, some hard work, a strong community spirit and a passion for humanity.
Meg Boria-Meyer grew up in Maine with parents who were avid gardeners. Her father bought a hobby farm where Meg spent much of her time in her younger years.
The Gainesville Giving Garden was catalyzed during the pandemic. Food insecurity during COVID inspired Meg, who by this time had enough farming experience under her belt to get a community garden up and running.
Meg feels that food is the medicine that fuels us and determines whether we succeed and whether our children succeed. The generational cycles of poverty can only end when there is truly nutritious food available to everyone in equal measure.
Meg took some time and space during the pandemic to really think through how to get this garden going. She went knocking on doors looking for empty lots in the area and came across a man who owned an abandoned parking lot right in the middle of town. He offered to lease the property for one dollar, in essence donating the land to the garden. Formerly a site for crime and litter, this centrally located property proved to be the perfect accessible location for a community garden.
Once the word got out about the garden, connections with local businesses and nonprofits skyrocketed. The parking lot was excavated, and the asphalt removed. Two semi-trucks loaded with topsoil were donated. A local composting company set up a discount program. The old, abandoned parking lot was ultimately
Read more on gardeningknowhow.com