A new garden project in Charlottetown is bringing together various cultural associations on P.E.I. to grow vegetables, and share much of the harvest with Islanders who could use the help.
The Cultural Garden initiative at Beaconsfield Historic House was started by the Latinos Association of Prince Edward Island.
“We’re currently doing the cultural garden, which is just an event where a whole bunch of cultural associations have come together to kind of learn from each other, kind of tell stories from our childhood, eat different types of food, and just get our hands dirty, get some sun, and learn how to garden,” Nathaly Muñoz, the association’s president, told CBC News on Sunday.
“We wanted to make sure that we got together and we kind of walked everyone through every step, and showed them that it’s not as hard as it may seem,” she said.
The garden has six plots, with a variety of crops planned like broccoli, carrots and pumpkins.
Nathaly Muñoz, president of the Latinos Association of Prince Edward Island, says the cultural garden is a way for different cultural associations to come together, share stories and food, enjoy the outdoors and learn the full process of gardening from breaking ground to planting. (Taylor O’Brien/CBC)
Muñoz said much of the produce will be shared with Islanders and families in need.
“In this cultural garden, we want to make sure that everyone feels heard and welcomed and gets a little part of everything,” she said.
For Jen Du, vice-president of the Chinese Society of P.E.I., the project is about more than just growing food.
“It’s not just for gardening, and it’s more like culture exchange, and people from all over feel… this is the second home for everybody,” Du said.
And giving back is at the heart of their involvement, said Du, who is herself an active volunteer in different initiatives on P.E.I.
“As newcomers, we got so much from the locals, we love to, you know, give back to the community as well,” she said.
Jen Du, vice-president of the Chinese Society of P.E.I., says the project is a chance for newcomer groups to come together for cultural exchange as well as give back to the Island community that has supported newcomers. (Taylor O’Brien/CBC)
For Tetiana Rymska, secretary of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress’s P.E.I. branch, the project marks her first experience with gardening.
So far she said she planted broccoli and helped prepare the soil for other vegetables.
Like others involved, Rymska said what stands out most is the sense of connection.
“Projects like this, it’s a great initiative, and you want to come over and you want to meet somebody new. And I actually got so many new friends here over the past couple of days,” she said.
“The fact that all of us, we got to unite here together and do all of this together, it just feels so amazing to see that there’s going to be such an amazing result at the end of it all.”
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