Appalachian Sustainable Development (ASD) and the Four Seasons YMCA in Tazewell, Virginia, are celebrating their new community garden partnership with a garden launch party on Friday, June 3, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the YMCA Community Garden, 106 Gratton Road, Tazewell.
The event is free and will feature speakers, a garden tour, children’s activities and a ribbon cutting. In addition, ASD will provide boxed dinners by Fisher and Company and gift bags for the first 100 registered guests. Registration is required: https://gardenlaunchparty.eventbrite.com.
This community garden partnership pairs ASD’s Groundwork workforce development program with the YMCA’s existing community garden, providing an agriculture-based job-training site for Groundwork participants while also giving the YMCA an enthusiastic work crew to manage the planning, planting, harvesting, and education of their ¾-acre garden space. This partnership is made possible through the support of Thompson Charitable Foundation and Aetna.
“It is the long-standing mission of both ASD and the YMCA to build healthier communities, focusing on the mind, body, and spirit,” said Shawn Durham, director of the YMCA. “All of that starts with the food we eat. And we are so thrilled to welcome ASD to Tazewell and to work alongside them as they increase local access to healthy foods, train a new generation of growers and producers, and help us create a thriving community space for everyone to enjoy.”
Kathlyn Terry Baker, Appalachian Sustainable Development CEO adds, “The Tazewell community has been wonderful to work with. They have been enthusiastic supporters and we are so grateful to be able to expand our work here and partner with the YMCA in support of building healthier communities and lives.”
This season, ASD’s Groundwork team will be growing produce for sale through a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. Families who would like a weekly box of naturally-grown produce, should contact ASD’s Garden Supervisor David Gabbert at [email protected] or call the YMCA at (276) 979-0280 extension 1886.
