Written by Natalie Austin, Program Manager
Photos by Matthew Sylvestre
On Wednesday, June 3 AWARE Staff and volunteers were joined by Whistler Blackcomb employees for Epic Promise Day. This initiative encourages staff to volunteer a workday so that they may participate in a community project. This project must be for a non-profit organization that focuses on youth and the environment. Lucky for AWARE, that meant having lots of extra hands in the Cheakamus Community Garden to undertake some major projects.
Spring is a busy time in the garden as you wander in and see what the winter has done to the space. It’s a time for growth, renewal, and new life! With this hardworking team, we were able to do this in various aspects of the gardens. Here is just some of what we accomplished:
- 1 deck refurbished
- 2 tables + 3 benches restored
- 20 garden boxes repaired
- 140 numbers spray painted
- 3 truckloads hauled to the dump
- countless weeds pulled
At the community garden, these projects mean more than just restoring breaking down structures or cleaning up the space. These projects contribute to a sustainable local food system and support resilient community building. With refreshed places to sit, neighbors can trade gardening secrets and make new connections. The repaired garden beds means facilitating long term local, organic food production for our friends and family. Even the act of pulling weeds can mean the difference between a bug eaten, low yield box and a thriving vegetable garden. When we come together to get things done, we move closer to a more sustainable community, and that impact goes much further than even one epic day.
