United Way for the City of Kawartha Lakes announced Monday that the cumulative total of produce donated from Edwin Binney’s Community Garden 2020 was over 12,700 lbs. Produce from the garden reached 1,315 individuals across the City of Kawartha Lakes and Haliburton through food banks and community organizations. An additional 275 participants received produce through three pilot projects; Fresh Produce Friday, which served three housing communities in partnership with the City of Kawartha Lakes; Garden at Your Table, which delivered produce in collaboration with Community Care City of Kawartha Lakes; and Haliburton FoodLove in partnership with HHHS Community Programs.
The garden has more than doubled last year’s total yield of 5,500 lbs. This year, the size of the plowed area was expanded to produce larger yields, and multiple crops were planted in succession throughout the season. With funding from Tree Canada, UWCKL and Fleming College planted over 100 fruit trees at the garden earlier this month. Their team is anticipating even greater yields and more variety due to the addition of this orchard for years to come.
The ongoing development of partnerships has brought incredible dedicated experts together for the past several years to help design Edwin Binney’s Community Garden. In its second season, this unique agricultural food security initiative and education center has yielded far more than anticipated by the main partners, Crayola Canada, Fleming College and UWCKL. “Fleming College’s lead experts helped us plan a response to support current food programs here and in Haliburton County,” explains Penny Barton Dyke, Executive Director of UWCKL. “Seniors, families, and those who found themselves more isolated during this time were able to receive healthy fresh food. We are grateful to our donors and supporters especially during who made it possible to ramp up our production,” she adds.
More information on Edwin Binney’s Community Garden can be found at https://ckl-unitedway.ca/edwin-binney-community-garden/
