Community Contact Information:
Temple Israel
Rogersville, MO
www.springfieldsynagogue.org
Goals:
- Work together as an interfaith group in the community.
- Start and maintain a garden to provide fresh produce for the needy.
- Engage the congregation in hands-on tikkun olam.
Overview:
The Community Garden was created through an interfaith effort between Temple Israel and three local churches. Fresh produce from the garden is donated to Ozarks Food Harvest, the only food bank serving 29 counties in Southwest Missouri. Over the past three years, the community garden has yielded nearly three tons of food and has served as a model for other faith groups looking to help solve hunger problems nationwide.
Preparation:
The social action chair presented the idea of using the congregation’s land to the board and, once approved, brought the idea to the already existing local interfaith group. A staff member from the local food bank helped in the planning and preparation of the garden. Members of all the congregations donated labor and gardening materials. The sisterhood donated the shed and the brotherhood built the shed and tilled the garden.
The garden committee holds planning meetings in the winter to discuss what and when to plant in the spring. Several members of the community provide seeds and starter plants. A congregant who is a master gardener helps to oversee plant selection and garden maintenance.
The group is kept on schedule through regular emails and information in the monthly synagogue newsletter.
Project Implementation:
Over 30 volunteers help plant, weed, harvest and deliver the produce throughout the season. Volunteers have included members of the interfaith group, religious school classes, youth group members, high school students seeking community service hours among others.
Results:
The garden has provided a significant amount of fresh produce to people who do not have access to healthy and nutritious vegetables. Volunteers of all ages from the synagogue and other faith-based groups have been engaged in helping to make a significant impact on the health of the community.
This program won a Fain Award in 2009.
