GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (KOLN) – Trinity United Methodist Church has converted a largely unused lot next to its building into a community garden, offering free produce to anyone who needs it.
The garden is called the Haven Garden. Church member Carol Stoppkotte proposed the idea to the congregation’s pastor. The lot was transformed into rows of beans, peppers, tomatoes and other vegetables. McCain Foods later agreed to sponsor the effort.
Anyone can enter the garden and take what they need. Visitors can also pull weeds if they want to contribute. Free produce is available in bins and a food pantry next to the church. Private plots are marked with pink tags and names.
The garden is intended to serve people experiencing food insecurity and those who do not have space for a garden of their own.
This is the Haven Garden’s second season. Carol Stoppkotte and her husband, Steven, said the church has been part of the neighborhood for nearly a century.
“We’ve been in this neighborhood, this location, for almost 100 years,” Steven Stoppkotte said. “So we’ve really wanted to be, continue to be a part of the community and become a bigger part of the community in recent years.”
Carol Stoppkotte said the idea grew from her own upbringing.
“Both my husband and I, growing up, our parents did gardens,” she said. “That’s where the actual idea for the community garden kind of came from because we had that growing up and had these fresh vegetables during the summer and everything. And so we thought, we want to share that with people.”
Steven Stoppkotte said community members have been harvesting produce at a rapid pace.
“People in the community were discovering it, coming in here, harvesting their own stuff,” he said. “Some of the plants, like the peppers and tomatoes, were getting harvested as quickly as they were ripening. So the people in the church who were volunteering were hardly doing any of that. It was all community people.”
Harvesting is expected to increase near the end of summer. Anyone interested in volunteering can message the Haven Garden on Facebook.
Trinity United Methodist Church will mark its 160th anniversary as a congregation on Sept. 20. The celebration will include a 9:30 a.m. service, followed by a lunch and a polka dance. The Haven Garden will be open to visitors that day.
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