New Hampshire’s north country community of Lancaster is thrilled to play host to another Red Eft project – the Lancaster Community Garden (LCG). The LCG came to fruition from the vision of former Red Eft Board member and Lancaster resident, Melissa Grella. The project is still in its infancy stage but is slowly gaining momentum, becoming a true community effort. The project is located in Lancaster, NH at the site of the former Elm’s Hotel – landowners David and Linda Rexford have agreed to lease the now vacant lot to the LCG for the garden.
The Lancaster Community Garden’s mission is to nurture a caring community by providing space, offering support and creating opportunities for the residents of Lancaster and neighboring communities to learn about and experience the rewards of growing their own food and sharing their bounty with those in need. The purpose of the project is to offer access to a garden for those who do not have green space available, while encouraging individuals to help themselves become more self reliant. We are a sharing garden – meaning in lieu of rental fees, gardeners are required to share their crops with an individual, family, or organization in need. The Red Eft Project was awarded a $15,000 grant from the Tillotson Foundation in July to spearhead the LCG project.
Project director Melissa Grella and her 4-person garden committee envision the garden becoming a landmark within the community, a place where different generations can come together to relish all the benefits that come with gardening – from eating fresh, local produce to the simple pleasure of digging your hands into the earth. Our first full growing season will be in 2012, but before the spring planting, we’ll be busy with gardener workshops, ordering materials, and preparing the garden site.