Community garden to build neighborhood relationships, feed children

JEFF KIESSEL | Daily News

Mike Haveman and the Rev. Mick Shriver hold some of the vegetable plants that will be planted at Emanuel Lutheran Church on Monday, June 12.

Mike Haveman likes to reminisce about the days when people used to sit on the front porch in the evenings and get to know their neighbor by name.

Havemen and the Rev. Mick Shriver are hosting a neighborhood event from 5-8 p.m. Monday, June 12 to help build relationships in the community, and hopefully bring that spirit back.

The event will include dinner provided by Pastor Jerry Theis of Radiant Church and its members, as well as the creation of a community garden at Emanuel Lutheran Church, located at 501 E. Danaher St.

Shriver said the dinner is not a proselytizing event.

"It is about showing our neighbors love and helping the neighborhood to get to know one another without any barriers involved," he said.

"The idea is to remove the barriers between neighbors," Haveman added. "We do not want your neighbor who lives two doors down to be known as the guy who lives two doors down. We want them to know Mike who lives two doors down. Once you personalize people they become people and that removes some of the anxiety because it is no longer the guy two doors down, it is just Mike."

Haveman said knowing one's neighbor boosts the chances of people watching out for each other.

"There is the aspect of coming together as a community as opposed to just being known as the guy who lives two-doors from me that I do not know his name," he said. "Put a name to a face and become a neighborhood and be involved together and know each other's needs and help each other and work together to make everyone's lives better."

Shriver said he heard some hesitation from people in the community who were worried about what kids would do to a garden planted on Danaher Street.

"My answer back was, yeah … we will replant it." he said. "We will do whatever we have to do but the idea of the community taking care of that garden means they take ownership of the garden and watch after it."

Shriver said there are neighbors and kids who watch out for the building already.

Emanuel Lutheran is one of the sites that hosts summer meals for kids, which starts June 12 and continues through Aug. 11. Emanuel Lutheran will serve food from 11 a.m. until 12:30 p.m.

The hope is that kids who come for meals will get involved and learn about garden upkeep.

The church will also provide a summer safe zone during that time where there will be adult supervision, crafts, games, movies, good communication, activities both inside and outdoor play.

"We are hoping during the summer food program the kids and families that show up here will also help give a hand in the garden," Shriver said. "Maybe doing some weeding, we hope this will help them to understand how to upkeep a garden."

The garden that will be planted is a salsa and spaghetti garden. It will also feature other types of fruit and vegetables.

When the garden matures, Shriver and Havemen hope members of the community will take what they need to help out any families that are struggling and may need extra food.

People who come to the dinner on June 12 can take home a fabric pot to plant vegetable seeds or flowers to start their own front porch vegetable garden, according to Shriver.

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