The Salvation Army at Tweed have a new project, thanks to a little help from their friends.
In partnership with the Caldera Institute, The Salvation Army in Banora Point has been hard at work creating a community garden.
The fully fenced garden includes a shed, low raised and high raised vegetable beds, plus eventually, a citrus garden.
Captain Deborah Robinson said the project could not have got off the ground without a support from a lot of groups throughout the community and would be a major asset.
She said the garden, at their Banora Point complex, would supply produce to the group’s cafe as well as becoming an educational resource for both the nearby Centaur Public School and Wallum Community Preschools.
“We have an open-house here every Wednesday evening,” she said.
“We serve 50-70 people – the lonely, families struggling to pay their bills. The produce will be used for this.”
She said the Salvos also hand out food vouchers twice a week and the produce from the garden could also be used at that time as well as being used in the kitchen to help educate young families about nutrition.
The project took almost a year to complete and was very much a joint effort between the Salvos and the Caldera Institute.
“We had a considerable period of time when we thought the garden might not eventuate,” Anne Duke said.
“For security purposes, because of the location, it has been necessary to fence the garden. To maintain the amenity of the complex, we wished the fence to be compatible with existing fences within the precinct. Our Food Links budget could not cover this cost.
“We have been fortunate to be able to source the necessary funds which have been provided by a generous donation of $9000 from the Twin Towns Community Foundation and additional funds from Terranora Lakes Lions Club ($2000) and Tweed Shire Council ($1000). This amount has more than matched the funds that we have available from our Village Showcase budget.”
The raised gardens, easier for older people and others with reduced mobility, were supplied at reduced cost by Mandala Garden Products at Byron and some were purpose built for the site, while Bunnings provided seedlings, seeds and other equipment.
