Phoenix Community Farm in Midland is inviting community members to its garden party fundraiser dinner on Thursday, July 23 at 7 p.m.
Beth De Vries/Phoenix Community Farm
Phoenix Community Farm in Midland is inviting community members to its garden party fundraiser dinner on Thursday, July 23 at 7 p.m.
Beth De Vries/Phoenix Community Farm
Phoenix Community Farm in Midland is inviting community members to its garden party fundraiser dinner on Thursday, July 23 at 7 p.m.
Beth De Vries/Phoenix Community Farm
Phoenix Community Farm in Midland is inviting community members to its garden party fundraiser dinner on Thursday, July 23 at 7 p.m.
The garden party, held at Windover High School, 919 Smith Road, is Phoenix Community Farm’s biggest fundraiser of the year, said Beth De Vries, founder and executive director of the nonprofit.
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Phoenix Community Farm grows produce, distributes fresh food to the community and educates residents about agriculture and healthy foods, De Vries said. The farm donated more than 26,000 pounds of produce last year.
During the garden party, attendees will receive a tour of the farm, enjoy 10 dishes donated by local restaurants, drink craft cocktails and listen to live music. The vendors featured at the event include Sawadee, Veedu Indian Kitchen & Lounge, Proper Taco, Great Lakes Ice Cream, Three Bridges Distillery & Taproom, Crazy Vines, Toasted Pony and more.
“Every ticket and donation helps to support all of our programs,” De Vries said.
The funds raised from the garden party are used to support volunteer coordination, education programs, technology used to manage the work the farm does, seeds, and soil amendment, she said.
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Phoenix Community Farm fights food insecurity with its greenhouse, which is used to grow produce in all seasons, De Vries said. The nonprofit has community farmstands at a pay-what-you-can scale open to all, allowing residents to either procure fresh produce at no cost or pay it forward for others, she said.
Phoenix Community Farm also collaborates with regional nonprofit Hidden Harvest, which rescues surplus food and distributes it to other area nonprofits. Once a week, Hidden Harvest picks up extra produce from Phoenix Community Farm to distribute it with a further reach, De Vries said.
A portion of Phoenix Community Farm’s produce also goes to the United Way’s ReGrow Together program, where it is combined with other ingredients to make ready-to-eat meals for community members, she said.
Phoenix Community Farm shares land with Windover High School and collaborates with the school, De Vries said.
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She said education is another important component to the farm’s mission. Phoenix Community Farm brings education programs to students at Windover and Head Start Preschool and offers field trip opportunities and community education classes.
The farm relies on volunteers to complete its work and is currently seeking volunteers. De Vries advised people interested in getting involved to visit the organization’s website, https://www.phoenixcommunityfarm.com/ to get started.
“We use volunteers a lot for helping with harvest and helping with garden maintenance, like cultivating and weeding,” she said.
The garden party fundraiser is open to anyone in the community but might be of particular interest to those passionate about community work, food or gardening, De Vries said.
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“Really, it is open to anybody who cares about people in our community, which I think is a lot of people,” she said.
Fighting food insecurity and increasing access to healthy foods are essential for the community, De Vries said.
“My first career was as a nurse practitioner, and as a nurse practitioner, I think it is vital that everyone have access to healthy food,” De Vries said. “Food shouldn’t be something that only some people have access to.”
Starting Phoenix Community Farm was largely inspired by her children, De Vries said.
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“I want them to know where food comes from. I want to model for them loving our neighbors and sharing the abundance we have,” she said.
Tickets for the Phoenix Community Farm garden party are available online at https://secure.qgiv.com/for/gardp20/event/gardenparty/.
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