Mix the sweet taste of homegrown vegetables with willing community members and a garden will grow.

That is the philosophy of the group FREEDOM’s next project. FREEDOM has established the community gardens, now for a second summer, where community members can benefit from homegrown produce by visiting the two community gardens one located at Peace Lutheran Church on W. Wooster and the other at First United Methodist Church on E. Wooster Street.

FREEDOM, a group of University students whose mission is to raise awareness to social issues and strengthen their community, is hosted by the United Christian Fellowship (UCF), the University’s campus ministry.

The idea for the gardens came as a result of the annual UCF and FREEDOM trip to the South Bronx in New York City, where group members learned that community gardens are an increasingly popular and valuable tool for low income areas. The essence of a community garden is for anyone in the community to freely pick the harvest as they please.

‘We wanted it to be a real community garden, so people could come and take food anytime,’ said Craig McAdams, Wood County area ministry coordinator.

While community members and students are not required to do any garden maintenance to benefit from its crops, it is much appreciated and encouraged.

‘The idea is, although it’s not required, if you work in the garden you feel more comfortable about coming and taking the harvest,’ said Bill Thompson, campus minister at the UCF.

The ultimate goal of the community gardens project is to promote volunteer work and humanitarianism in the community, with hopes of bringing together University students, church members and community members alike by ‘bridging the gap between the community and the campus,’ McAdams said.

The project costs next to nothing due to donations from community organizations and individuals. Toledo GROWS, a community gardening outreach program, donated all the seeds to be planted, and provided tips and assistance in keeping a garden growing throughout the season. The Bowling Green Community Development Foundation funded part of the cost of AmeriCorps workers as well as topsoil for the gardens. Gardening tools were donated by community members while Bostdorff Greenhouse Acres Ltd. donated mulch for the project.

New to the program this year is the involvement of AmeriCorps, an organization that gives people an opportunity to earn money while serving their community. AmeriCorps workers earn a small stipend of pay to work a set number of hours in the garden each week.

A variety of vegetables grace the garden’s grounds, including green beans, peas, carrots, and an assortment of tomatoes and beans. Pumpkins, watermelons, and sunflowers also liven up the plot. In addition, each garden holds an herb circle complete with thyme, basil, cilantro, and dill.

FREEDOM members take the ripe crops door-to-door in order to share the wealth of the gardens while also promoting awareness of the cause. Any crops leftover thereafter are most likely going to be donated to local area food banks, said Landon Evans, community garden supervisor.

FREEDOM members also believe the gardens will be of help in a trying economy, as the food is free to anyone who needs it. The community gardens prove to benefit members of the community in more ways than one.

‘I like that the vegetables taste very good [as compared to store bought],’ said Bradley Showman, administrator and developer of the UCF.

Meetings are held at the gardens on Sundays at noon for anyone wanting to lend a helping hand.