Dear Friends,

Spring is right around the corner and The Blessed Frédéric Ozanam Garden Ministry is looking forward to having you join us in our mission to provide a safe place to live out your Christian faith by helping us provide fresh fruit and vegetables to low income families.

The garden is located on the future site of our new church (southwest corner of Bur Oak Ave. and White’s Hill Rd.). It hosts a number of allotment plots where gardeners can plant and harvest crops for their own use, as well 10 rows of Outreach Garden, where volunteers work together to plant, maintain and harvest crops for our neighbours in need.

We need people with a variety of skills and interests and hope that every parishioner will find something they can do to contribute to this exciting ministry. If you would like to participate in this growing ministry, or you want information about an allotment plot, please e-mail us at bfogardens@blessedozanam.ca

How Can You Help?

• You can help with the administration of this new ministry. No gardening experience is needed here ... just a willingness to get involved and help us make decisions that will positively impact the success of the garden ministry.

• This is the time to start some plants indoors. If you have a sunny window in your home and are willing to start some seedlings for our garden, please let us know. Having some well-established plants to put into our garden will give us a great head start on a good harvest. Instructions will be provided to help you successfully tend these seedlings.

• Can you volunteer some time to help water, weed, fertilize and harvest through the growing season? This is a great opportunity for families, youth, seniors, and anyone interested in getting some fresh air in a safe environment. Gardening experience is not necessary.

• Do you have gardening equipment that you can donate? We are always looking for gardening supplies such as garden stakes, string, shovels, trowels, hoes, rakes, pitch forks, wheel barrows, buckets, etc.

• Are you interested in helping us design some environmentally friendly structures to help water our garden or support our vegetables as they grow?

• Do you have some gardening experience that you can share with us? We need some knowledgeable gardeners who can help organize and direct teams of volunteers so we can get the best yield from our garden.

Whether you’re an avid gardener or you just want to enjoy some outdoor time this year in a safe and friendly environment, please consider joining our team. We have opportunities available to suit everyone.

For more information e-mail us at: bfogardens@blessedozanam.ca