Since 2012, the Refugee Services of Texas (RST) Fort Worth regional office has
developed a community garden by which their clients can cultivate their own
culturally appropriate foods. The gardens could not have been made possible without
the help of Tarrant Area Food Bank, Tarrant County Public Health, dedicated
volunteer support, and the Master Gardeners Association of Tarrant County,
conveniently located next door.
Over the past 4 years the garden has reached a total of 33 growing
plots with plans to add additional plots due to increasing interests expressed
by clients. On November 21st, RST hosted a workday where all of the
gardeners gathered to help with the expansion, clean-up, and beautification
efforts. A special thank you is also in order for Community Cultivators LLC who
came out to provide support.
In addition to the workdays, one of the many goals of the
garden program is to create opportunities for the greater Fort Worth community
to get involved. Over the years in partnership with TCU, students have been
able to complete service projects in the garden and this collaborative effort
is something that RST would like to continue in the future.
The garden provides an important outlet that allows clients
to get back to their roots and grow produce that they are accustomed to from
their countries of origin. The cultural dynamism reflected through the plants
makes the garden a truly magical place to be immersed in.
