Build a Garden Bed and Help Tackle Food Insecurity in Milwaukee
Photo courtesy of Victory Garden Initiative
Victory Garden Initiative hopes to create over 500 garden beds for citizens and companies across Milwaukee County this summer as part of its “Victory Garden Blitz” event.
The local grassroots organizations’ mission is to create sustainable, equitable food systems across Milwaukee County, especially in underserved communities in the city with less access to fresh produce. The Blitz is one way the organization works toward that mission.
Milwaukeeans who are interested in a garden bed can sign up for up to two garden beds online. There is a sliding scale ($25-$250) based on income. During the Blitz, which runs from April 20-May 4, volunteers will come out and install a garden bed on property. The volunteers will also fill the container with dirt, so it’s all ready to be used for planting.
After an onslaught of challenges last year, including a tool theft, a changing team and financial constrictions, the VGI team canceled the Blitz for the first time since the inception of the nonprofit in 2009. “The absence of the Blitz was felt in the community,” says Sinceree Dixon, volunteer programs coordinator at VGI. “We’re trying to make up for it this year.”
The goal of installing 500 garden beds this year is ambitious, but it’s not impossible. Since 2009, VGI volunteers have installed over 7,000 garden beds. While the average is around 300 gardens per summer, there have been a few instances where the team installs well over 500.
Registration for purchasing a garden bed opened on Feb. 26. Currently, they have 100 beds claimed, a good start but far from their goal “We’re hoping more people will find us this spring and use VGI to help get planting,” says Dixon.
But none of it can be made possible without people. Right now, VGI has about 150 volunteers already signed up for the Blitz. However, they have about 500 volunteer shifts to cover. Dixon recommends larger groups, like a work team or church group, to volunteer together.
Photo courtesy of Victory Garden Initiative
“Volunteering is really straightforward,” says Dixon. “There are teams of four or five in a pick up truck and a route is provided. When they’re on site, they screw the wood boards together to make a bed. The team then uses a wheelbarrow to fill in dirt that they move house to house in a trailer.”
If you’re interested in volunteering, but not the physical work, there are other ways you can get involved. Dixon shared that they need volunteers who know how to drive a truck with a trailer, administrative volunteers to do things like check people in and hand out routes, as well as volunteers who can use a circular saw to cut and pre-drill the boards. Fiscal donations are always welcome, as are tool donations. “If we have a lot of a certain tool, we can always give them to our gardeners,” says Dixon.
Photo courtesy of Victory Garden Initiative
In addition to the annual Blitz, VGI has other programs to get people to grow their own food. They offer seeds to gardeners, as well as classes or individual instruction on how to have a successful garden. Programs like their “Move Grass Class” further help people cultivate a well-producing home garden through teaching techniques like companion planting. They even offer end-of-season canning classes.
While installing a garden bed may only take a few minutes, the effects are long lasting. Garden beds can be used for years and years, and the longevity of the system helps further VGI’s mission to help fight food insecurity.
“VGI gardeners have shared their thoughts with us through the years,” says Dixon. “They have saved money, had better access to fresh foods, and have been able to eat more balanced meals.”
If you’re interested in volunteering for the annual Blitz or want to purchase a garden, find more information and sign up on the Victory Garden Initiative website.
