Garden of the Month - Refugee Services of Texas (Fort Worth): Growing Hope

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 21^st, 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.

If you are interested in participating or contributing to this worthy project please contact RST Fort Worth at fortworth@rstx.org