Home > News and Events > 2016 > VCAL class grows food to feed the hungry

2 November 2016

The VCAL class at Our Lady of Mercy College, Heidelberg, has been involved in a project called The Garden Collective. The project is about growing food for others and learning about setting up, and maintaining a garden, within a social justice framework.
 

I loved planting the seedlings and watching them grow over the weeks. 

They learnt life skills such as planting, maintaining and harvesting a productive crop and were taught about soil structure and preparation, pest management, organic fertilisers, companion planting, and even how to use the plants in cooking.

I learnt lots about planting and growing vegetables and was really surprised how much food you could get out of a small area! 

Project organisers Chris and Sarah worked with the VCAL class each week and helped them plant out twelve concrete tubs with herbs and vegetables. Feeding, watering and weeding became a weekly activity to look after the growing crop.

During the project the girls explored the reality of hunger in our community and were involved in growing food for FareShare, Victoria’s largest food relief agency.

It was so good to see the plants growing and know that we were going to be providing food for people in need. 

After a growing period of about twelve weeks, the crop was harvested under careful instruction from Chris and Sarah. The harvested crop, weighing close to thirty kilos, was then donated and delivered to FareShare in Abbotsford, where the girls were invited to a tour of the facility. They were thanked and told that the fresh food would be incorporated into meals for soup vans, homeless shelters, food banks and breakfast programs around Victoria.

I am going to volunteer at FareShare during the holidays to help prepare meals for hungry people.