By Mary Liz Mulligan, Chair, Bronxville Green Committee
Apr. 26, 2017: Have you noticed a large pile of wood chips on the village hall lawn near the Pondfield Road/Gramatan Avenue intersection for the past couple of weeks?
Then several wooden forms arrived. Then more wooden forms accumulated. All 19 of the raised beds have been built and are now in place, resting on fabric. Next week, the soil/compost will arrive and the final building stage, fencing, will go up very soon thereafter. The planning and implementation and actual physical work to get to this point have taken a large team and many months, but we are almost at the finish line!
Mayor Marvin and I attended an incredibly informative expo, Bedford2020, a few weeks ago and were amazed at the magnitude of hunger in our country. It is estimated that 14.3 percent of our country is "food insecure," which is defined as living without reliable access to affordable nutritious food. In Westchester County, one of the ten richest counties in the nation, 200,000, or 1 in 5, residents fit this definition. This is simply stunning.
Dave Phillips--our Farmer Dave--is the spark behind this project. Dave spoke to Mayor Marvin about starting a community garden last year, and the mayor jumped on the idea and brought it to the Bronxville Green Committee to cultivate. Many thanks to the village and the Rotary Club of Bronxville for providing the seed money to bring this from a concept to a reality.
The Bronxville Giving Garden ("BGG") is a volunteer-based organization under the Green Committee's umbrella. We welcome residents of all ages to join us and get your hands dirty. We are also seeking volunteers to make veggie deliveries to our very local pantries in Tuckahoe, Mount Vernon, and Yonkers.
A talented local resident, Nicki Piercy Coddington, has donated her talent and is in the throes of creating a working website for us that will be user-friendly and allow you to sign up to help simply by making a few clicks. The site (www.bronxvillegivinggarden.org) will be going live soon. There will also be guest speakers during the course of the growing season. All will be posted on the website.
I have used this expression many, many times, and it rings true again: It Takes a Village. This endeavor is no exception. Involved to date were Mayor Mary Marvin; the village trustees; the village administrator, Jim Palmer; DPW Superintendent Wayne Ballard; treasurer Lori Voss; the DPW staff; and, of course, Farmer Dave and several of his buddies; and webmaster, Nicki Piercy Coddington.
Please keep an eye out for www.bronxvillegivinggarden.org and join us!
Pictured here: Nicki Piercy Coddington and Farmer Dave Phillips.
Photo by Mary Liz Mulligan, Chair, Bronxville Green Committee
