Stewardship Pemberton’s Seedy Sunday event on March 17 allowed locals to learn all about the non-profit’s summer projects before a busy season ahead. People could exchange knowledge about growing food and all things sustainability at Pemberton’s Downtown Barn, while Chicks with Picks provided lively background music to the large crowd.
Feasting for Change program director, Nikki Lax, said she hopes to get as many people involved in Stewardship Pemberton’s projects as possible over the coming months.
“These kind of events are so important for us to have,” she said. “Free, accessible knowledge of seeds and soil connects people. It’s amazing to be a non-profit that has all these different projects going. We are excited to keep this momentum going. We have the seed library here, the composting program. We also have the Fruit Tree Project and the Grow-it-Forward Garden.”
The organization’s Fruit Tree Project aims to remove bear attractants in Pemberton while educating locals on the nature surrounding them. Pickers gather fruit from landowners’ gardens, which is spread equally between three groups. One third is given back to the owners, a third to volunteers, and a third is donated to the food bank.
The Grow-it-Forward Garden also provides food to the most vulnerable in the community. Volunteers care for a large patch of vegetables at the Pemberton Creek Community Garden, and the harvest goes to the Pemberton Food Bank, Healthy Pregnancy Outreach Program and Women’s Safe House.
Councillor Katrina Nightingale was thrilled to see such a large crowd at the event.
“I just love these community events. They inspire young people to get their hands in the soil,” she said.
Stewardship Pemberton’s executive director, Deborah Esseltine, said the organization is currently evolving and trying to organically follow what’s happening within the community.
“The Fruit Tree Project has been a real anchor for Stewardship Pemberton as it works out what it wants to do next,” she said. “It’s really helping the community to connect with sustainability.”
The cost-of-living crisis is causing families to look for alternative ways of getting food on their tables, she added.
“Food is so expensive right now. By growing your own food you have a lot of natural and healthier food,” Esseltine said. “We have such a wealth of knowledge in this community about growing some very good food. There are so many new families here that want to grow food in their own back yard.”
The Fruit Tree Project is expected to be incredibly popular this year, growing on last fall’s success. Longtime volunteer, Anne Crowley, explained the project is changing the way locals think.
“The most awareness needs to come from individual homeowners with fruit trees,” she said. “Nobody should ever be discouraging anybody from growing food. That’s really important, that we grow food. Ten days to a week, before the fruit is fully ripe, call the Fruit Tree Project and arrange to have pickers to come over and pick it all.”
