Una fuerza de la naturaleza: cómo un huerto voluntario apoya a la despensa de alimentos comunitaria de Durham
Staff and volunteers at the Durham Community Food Pantry (DCFP) take great pride in the volunteer cultivated garden located at the back of the food pantry’s building. Ask Suzan Perry, Master Gardner and DCFP volunteer, about the garden’s origin, and watch her beaming smile as she talks about everything that is currently in season and almost ready to be harvested.
Volunteer Coordinator Heather Wendeln shares, “Currently Zucchini, cucumbers, squash, pole green beans, green peppers, and blackberries are in season, and hopefully by the end of the summer we’ll see Tomatoes, chard, kale, spinach!”
Three years ago, with only a patch of untamed land, Suzan embarked on a journey to provide the fresh, nutritious produce for the pantry’s clients. “I just love to garden and really wanted to provide people with fresh produce while doing something I love,” Perry recalls, her voice filled with passion. Suzan’s vision was both simple and profound, to transform a forgotten, overgrown hillside into a beautiful, bountiful gift for the community.
The early days of the garden were not without challenge. Perry’s first challenge was to tame the weeds and notorious kudzu existing where the garden was to be placed. With space clear and opportunity ahead, Perry began finding DIY vessels to house the plants.
“I started with just a few small containers for some seeds and small plants. However, I was able to find more planters and help reduce waste by utilizing found objects to house the plants,” shared Perry.
Through Suzan’s creativity and ingenuity, items including a bathtub, a former storage shed, and other large containers that volunteers rescued became homes for plants to grow into local produce. Each repurposed planter became a home for thriving plants, embodying Suzan’s philosophy that every resource, when given love, can be reborn into something beautiful and useful.
With the help of DCFP volunteers and staff, Perry was able to replace an overgrown hillside with a place of beauty and utility, where volunteers dutifully tend the soil and bring new life out of the ground. Once the produce is ready to be harvested, it is hand-picked and distributed to neighbors in need through DCFP distributions. Suzan’s knack for innovation and her willingness to mentor new volunteers ensures that the garden’s legacy continues to expand.
