Beauty and bountiful nutrition is blooming around Kelowna乌鸦传媒檚 乌鸦传媒榯ent city乌鸦传媒�.

Debbie, a resident of the popular encampment along the rail-trail, is the brains behind the blossoming community garden. She broke ground after being gifted a couple of seedlings. Since then, the garden has grown plentifully.

Garth, her partner, is the 乌鸦传媒渕uscle乌鸦传媒� behind the project and Kismet, her puppy, provides snuggles.

乌鸦传媒淲hen I first mentioned it to bylaw, they kind of rolled their eyes at me,乌鸦传媒� said Debbie. 乌鸦传媒淣ow that they乌鸦传媒檝e seen it, they乌鸦传媒檙e more on board.乌鸦传媒�

Debbie hopes that by 乌鸦传媒渂eautifying乌鸦传媒� the encampment, people will start to see the humanity of those experiencing homelessness.

乌鸦传媒淭hey don乌鸦传媒檛 see us as people,乌鸦传媒� said Debbie.

She said that her community can hear the degrading remarks pedestrians make as they pass by, and it hurts their feelings.

乌鸦传媒淢aybe if we make it prettier along here, it would give people something to be proud of乌鸦传媒� and people would see us as human.乌鸦传媒�

She said that there has been great community involvement in the project and that residents have been enjoying the flowers and produce from the garden.

During the interview at 乌鸦传媒榯ent city乌鸦传媒� residents of the encampment came up to Debbie, asking for direction on harvesting vegetables and to ask permission to add some plants of their own.

She said that having a productive project to work on, like a garden, gives people a purpose, which is beneficial for mental health.

乌鸦传媒淲hen you don乌鸦传媒檛 have things to do, it can become destructive.乌鸦传媒�

Debbie hopes to grow even more produce next year. This year, the garden boasts a harvest of zucchini, kale, tomatoes, strawberries and cauliflower, to name a few.

She wants to give the residents increased access to fresh and healthy foods, like vegetables, since the donated food that residents of the encampment rely on is typically processed and non-perishable.

Debbie is also growing an assortment of flowers, planted around the vegetables. Garth is typically in charge of watering the plants, an arduous task in the hot summers with only a single water fountain to use.

Next spring, she would like to hold a plant swap where locals could exchange cuttings of prolific plants to expand their garden variety.

After being gifted an armful of fresh-picked produce, Capital News reports that the zucchinis and tomatoes are delicious.

Jacqueline.Gelineau@kelownacapnews.com
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