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j2 be 5 > Continued from page 3 Thureday, May 4, 2028 14 ma E potatoes, toma- ol = toes os flowers and perenni- 3 al pollinator plants; what- $ first come first serve basis £-— hearts and appetites de- 5 sire Built by volunteers dur- ing the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, the beehive ofactivity sivent the financial, social an vi- ronmental ono Only e same number of people as gardeners on a wait list, and pending po- tential expansion on public roperty ebrook Park, which isn't imminent, Rekman said the wait looks to be at least several years for some. There are about 1,000 people currently waiting for garden space in urban areas across the region, ac- cording to the Waterloo Re- ion Community Garden Network. Doug Jones, chair, said co-ordinators hold the lists for the 98 gardens that com- prise the network and that they operate independently and autonomously for the most part, with about 1,500 people. “What we want to do is move the wait lists to the network website and then help people find ways they achieve their own goals,” he said. "We're re- booting the website and we havea volunteer page com- said the regional gaen, network works with local municipalities and groups tike f KW Urban Har- vester and Young City Growers to expand the number of community gar- dens and increase opportu- Going the extra mile for your final mile DID YOUR HOLIDAY RUSH LEAVE YOU AND, MORE IMPORTANTLY, YOUR CUSTOMERS WAITING? Metroland Parcel Services has a simple goal - in Wate nities for people who want "In some areas, gentrifi- cation in the garden means. you're no longer seeing as many people who need to grow their own food; you're seeing people who have enough money to have the pleasure of growing their provide cost-effective, premium service for final-mile distribution across Ontario. Indeed, with over 15,000 drivers and 14 depots, our network is always ready for next-day delivery even with increased volumes. Join some of Canada’s largest companies who rely on us for their ecommerce delivery. waterloochronicle.ca PARCEL SERVICES Get a quote today: metrolandparcelservices.ca SCAN FOR MORE INFORMATION Jessica Bruce and Matthew Rekman discuss planting at the Lakeshore North Community Garden terloo. own food," he said. People who aren't earn- ing enough money to feel se- cure about their food sup- ply tend to work longer hours and usually don't have a lot of spare time or access toa car, Jones noted. "We're re: inking about people who have lan- Bill Jackson/Metroland guage barriers, physical barriers and mental health barriers being able to ac- cess more garden space so they can do the things that fit in with their capacity.” In some areas, lack of space poses an issue; how- ever, Jones said there are still lots of opportunities for ‘| THINK WE NEED PEOPLE THAT ARE WILLING TO TAKE THE INITIATIVE’ community groups to part- ner with municipalities and school boards to establis! more garden plots on public A water source is key and fundraising is usually required for capital startup costs, however, grants are lend to help. ‘I think we need people that are willing to take the Waterloo that's developing Spre 01 that al- cilitators to assess the suit- ability of potential garden sites. Rekman ning for to ak Needs North garden in 2019 and found dozens of helpers af- ter putting out feelers on Facebook. See - page 13