The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

16 Jpa,gh,e.'s srfl;;thâ€"umfihwmmmumwanhâ€"umdmmm ”mm- "dt-hgh-rr-to-ur- "a"r-rthidtod-hhIrr u)torh.dmh Huhkfianâ€"MMWI“dqflhwfinfla‘hwâ€"Ihfluhhâ€"nm cub-(uh "r"r'm-ruo-"t-"u-oo-"-ui.-"u"rr"ru'retof, n-m-ro-trt-dt-tRr-tid-oil 'ts'"'""'-'"'!-"""',"' in“ '4ottotot-3om'sBSmrro+i_rmtorttakioH17 an i917? [div-$2515! mt-tMus-r-Otto-mr , Egg sf. nor-th, witty-loin}: elt/md uy [wmioo hotel bulking] "Karaoke at Jonathan's” [very Ihursday Night! Starting March 30th I Bring your friends and AND BAR 589 WEIER mun NORTH AT NORTHFIILD 888-0947 e in new customers With an ad in the Waterloo Chronicle, call 886-2830 .IDA BADAY lt won1 be long before spring buds are blooming, which means gardeners everywhere are beglnning to prepare for the planting sea- At the Food Bank of Water- loo Region, organizers are also looking at their calen- dars and eagerly anticipating the arrival of spring. Local food bank program is cultivating community cohesion That's whenihe/r "Healthy By Randall Meier Spa ml to Thy Chrune le Quick, before the snowbanks disappear. 883 q 8776 uTn 4.0-Litre V8 Engine . Permanent Four-Wheel Drive . Four-Wheel Electronic Traction Control . All-Terrain ABS q Dual-Zone Automatic Climate Control . Front and Rear Foglamps q Auto Dimming Interior Rearview Mirror With Electronic Compass . Heated Power Exterior Mirrors a month 4.9%" Communities wtth Commu- nity Gardens" prolect gets under way again. The project hopes to reap other benefits, too. Many of these families live In at-risk neighbourhoods where safety can be a concern, says Karena. And as he points out, studies consistently show a strong link between commu- nity gardens and safe streets. The aim of the project tsto plant and nurture a network of five community gardens. By doing so, organizers hope to cultivate community cohe- swn and enhance the quality of life of those who live in the arm Peter Katona, who is Dyer- seeing the project, says com- munity gardens offer families who dont have access to a plot of land - often because they live in In Qumran - the opportunity to grow their own produce. Discovery Series II This year, the project is 2000 [AND ROVER “Hum o Division of bk MOTORS 485 King St M, woterloo, ON 51 9-885- 5090 The idea behind the project is straight-forward - to get people involved in meaning- ful community activities, meeting their neighbours and making connections. When neighbours know each other and have regular contact. crime statistics tend to go down. Katona wants to bring local youth into the picture, too. He says that getting young people to participate will not only enhance their confi- dence and sense of self- worth, it will give them a feeling of ownership. And that can help reduce vandal, ism, he says. funded in part by the National Strategy on Com- munity Safety and Crime Pre- vennon, a federal initiative to help community groups across the country deal with the root causes of crime. The local food bank first began coordinating a com- Youcmoom'mm' Ata/dal, Meicr " an editor at Young Pulpit" Press. But that's a whole growrng season away, And there IS sure to be more snow on the way before the first spade-full of earth IS turned and seeds are sewn In the mednllmc, well all Just have to wall for spring The only stipulation. he says, is that gardeners must adhere to organic growmg methods. That means no chemical fertilizers or pesH- cides can be used. As they have done in the past, the food bank hopes to once again offer workshops on growing organic produce. When autumn arrives, the gardeners wall hold a harvest fair. Last year's fair was a great success, says Karena. it brought people together IO socialize and share informa, Iran. The fair was also a way for the gardeners to compare the fruits of their efforts and show off prize produce, he says The gardens vary in 5122, from five by 10 feet to approximately 10 by 20 feet. The land itself has been pro- vided by churches, commu- nity centres. and area businesses. Part-lime facilitators will help look after each garden and set up committees that will be responsible for water- ing, social events and the res- olution of any cordlicts that might arise. munity garden oght years ago. Over ume. they have branched out The network grew to include three gardens last year, and now two more are being added. As for what gets grown, that IS up to the iardeners themselves. In the past, peo- ple have cultivated every- thing from cucumbers and corn to beets and bok choy. The gardeners are of various ethniciues, says Karena, and this is reflected in the diverse range of produce. kd-rot-dren.'-