Neighbor to Neighbor (NTN) is partnering with Greenwich Community Gardens to form the “Parsonage Road NTN Garden.”
This partnership was formed to provide NTN clients with healthier food options to improve their nutrition and well-being. NTN will now benefit from 30 plots of land, located in the Nathaniel Witherell campus off of Parsonage Road. This collaboration signifies a new beginning to grow, harvest, and distribute fresh produce for NTN’s clients.
Produce will include organic vegetables, such as lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, string beans, and peppers. Greenwich Land & Trust will be providing all seedlings for the first year.
“At Greenwich Community Gardens we began growing organic produce for the Neighbor to Neighbor Food Pantry in 2011 at our flagship garden, Armstrong Court. Each year we have worked to increase the yield by committing more garden plots and by learning how to grow more and better produce. At the Parsonage Road NTN Garden location there will be 30 raised garden plots now dedicated to the mission and we look forward to training and supporting a team of volunteers from the Neighbor to Neighbor community in that production. The need for healthy food and community support has never been so great,” said Terri Browne Kutzen, Chairwoman of Greenwich Community Gardens.
NTN is currently serving 817 households and 2,297 individuals in the Greenwich community. Since last year, it has seen an 18% increase in the number of families and individuals seeking food assistance. Balancing the demand and access to fresh and nutritious food has been a primary focus for the organization.
NTN currently benefits from weekly food donations from local supermarkets such as Kings Food Market, Stop & Shop, and Trader Joe’s in addition to food drives held by local schools, churches, and individuals. However, clients continue to face limited access to locally grown produce.
Greenwich Community Garden’s partnership with NTN is working to help fill these gaps by now sourcing fresh produce from the Parsonage Road NTN Garden.
“We are thrilled with this enhancement of our longstanding partnership with Greenwich Community Gardens in the formation of the Parsonage Road NTN Garden. This garden will give us the ability to grow and harvest vegetables that will be distributed directly to the clients that we serve. We are looking for garden volunteers to help us maintain the plots to provide fresh, nutritious produce to families and individuals in our community,” said Executive Director,
K.Brent Hill.
Saturday, April 26 will mark the first day in the Parsonage Road NTN Garden.
In preparation for the opening day, an informational session will be held on Wednesday, April 16th at 5:30 pm in the Neighbor to Neighbor building, to look for volunteers.
Volunteer days will be Wednesday nights and Saturday mornings, with shifts ranging from 2 to 2-1⁄2 hours. The garden responsibilities will consist of wood chipping, weeding, watering, tending plants, and more.
For additional information, contact Sonya Keshwani at (203) 622-9208 ex.113 or [email protected].