Soon, Minneapolis's East Side will get something called a Local Food Resource Hub.
The hub, which is still in planning stages, is a part of a program that was piloted in the city last year. Through neighborhood-embedded hubs, it connects hundreds of gardeners to discounted seeds and seedlings, tool sharing, workshops, and more.
Stephanie Hankerson, who is a program volunteer, explains, “A hub implies a physical location that people descend to but it’s more of a network of gardeners supporting each other." She adds that the hubs have only temporary locations.
Another hub is also in the works in St. Paul.
Gardening Matters, a local nonprofit agency that provides support for community gardens, is administering the program in partnership with the city and various community organizations and businesses.
Hankerson explains, “The idea is to lower the barriers to get food-growing happening in backyards and community gardens and even support for commercial enterprises.”
It’s based on a model that’s been successful in Detroit, according to Hankerson.
Hubs offer memberships to gardeners based on a sliding scale fee, and scholarships are available.
Last year, each hub had about 200 members, which is a number that she expects to increase this year.
The individual volunteer-driven hubs each have a different flavor. “It reflects the neighborhood and community it’s coming from,” says Hankerson.
“My hope is that the hub would be a support system for folks to grow their own food,” she says, adding, “At the same time, it’ll make our neighborhoods more sustainable and self-sufficient.”
On March 3, the hubs are hosting a program-wide fundraiser, with a winter sowing demonstration, composting tips, and information about low-cost city trees and community gardens, according to program materials.
A couple other kickoff events for the East Side hub are also in the works for February. For more information, check the Gardening Matters
website.
Source: Stephanie Hankerson, East Side Local Food Resource Hub
Writer: Anna Pratt