Five Rivers MetroParks | The Virtual Victory Garden

The COVID-19 pandemic brought challenges to many in the Dayton area including isolation, changes in employment and income, and more time spent at home.  Food insecurity increased in our region, as did a desire to grow gardens to feed family and neighbors.

To respond to these new conditions, Five Rivers MetroParks utilized funds from the OPRA Foundation Emergency Grant to develop Garden-to-Go kits complete with seeds, seedlings and planting information. Community partners such as the Dayton Foodbank, Montgomery County Alcohol, Drug Addiction & Mental Health Services, Children’s Hunger Alliance and East End Community Services helped us distribute kits to families experiencing food insecurity. By June 2020 we were able to provide 370 kits to families in need, many of whom had never gardened before.

To increase the program’s impact, garden spaces within our parks were planted as donation gardens. Emails to community gardeners and social media posts encouraged residents to help by bringing produce to the parks to add to the bounty. These efforts resulted in over three tons of vegetables donated to Access to Excess, a local nonprofit. Addressing the needs of the community through this direct outreach is something we look forward to continuing in years to come.

Comments are closed.