Calling all green thumbs or those wanting to learn more about growing, the Batemans Bay Salvos community garden is looking for people to join their initiative.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
What started as the seed of an idea to connect the community after the Black Summer bushfires quickly grew into a program which helped supply fresh vegetables to welfare recipients twice a week.
But, with last year's first COVID lockdown stopping the volunteers from getting together, the team is now building its way back up to the thriving vegetable patch it was.
Salvation Army volunteer Quinn Seymour said with enough support, the sky was the limit for what the community garden could achieve.
"The garden was started by the initiative of our former officers Ben and Rachel Knight in collaboration with Campbell Page and the aim was to build a functioning market garden to help support and develop relationships within the community," he said.
"It was also an opportunity for people in the community to have a space to come together and socialise, while being able to keep busy using their hands when looking after the garden."
The garden was built to be an accessible space for all in the community, and is located behind the Batemans Bay Salvos on the corner of Crown Street and the Old Princes Highway.
READ MORE: Could Mat Hatcher be the Shire's next mayor?
A true community project, labour came from participants in the work for the dole program who were able to build skills in construction.
Volunteer Adelle Grivas said she would love to see more people join the community garden.
"It's here for anybody who would like to join us," she said.
"We'd love people who would like to learn or need a bit more interaction in their lives because they're feeling isolated after the bushfires and COVID."
Mr Seymour said the group had big plans for the future of the garden, including creating a sensory garden and community leased garden beds for those who don't have space to grow at home.
"I think what the space needs most at the moment is community participation and we really need more hands-on deck as it is just myself and one other volunteer," he said.
"Other things we would be looking for might be building materials, seed and seedlings, fruit trees, soil, and mulch, but most of all we need the people power."
Anyone interested in joining the community garden can contact Quinn at quinn.seymour2@salvationarmy.org.au.