Sharing Manna Garden

GreenTree’s Sharing Manna Garden is underway! The content here is almost the same as what you’d see on our new brochure. Feel free to look through the information and enter any questions into the comments section and they’ll be directed to Ely Wakefield, our community garden mentor.

Mentoring. Personal Empowerment. Sharing.

The vision of Sharing Manna Garden is to encourage sharing together by mentoring others in the knowledge and skills they need, which will empower them in their own lives and in giving to one another and the community.

Mentoring

“Anyone can garden,” says Ely Wakefield, our community garden mentor. “Children, middle aged people, and older people can garden.” Sharing Manna Garden is for you, no matter your age or level of experience. In volunteering to help with the work of Sharing Manna and receiving its benefits, you’ll be part of a mentoring program which will help you develop your gardening education. Sharing Manna Garden is also part of the NC Cooperative Extension’s Forsyth County Center on Fairchild Road in Winston-Salem, which provides resources such as Master Garden classes and gardening resources. Ely Wakefield, who teaches Sharing Manna gardeners, has received her training from the Master Gardening program of the Cooperative Extension.

Personal Empowerment

We don’t just want volunteers or recipients of vegetables. We want those volunteers to learn the skills that will empower them to expand their personal lives, work with others as a team, and realize new opportunities. When you share in the work and resources at Sharing Manna, you’ll be broadening your education and your awareness of the needs in your area, growing in relationships, and strengthening your ability to provide for your loved ones and your community.

Sharing

The spirit of sharing lives in each aspect of the Community Garden. Your mentor shares invaluable insight with you; and as you learn, you share your knowledge and help with others. By working together, the team shares friendship, the workload, and the common goal of sharing resources with the community. Join Sharing Manna Garden today and experience the beauty and joy of gardening!

How Can I Help?

DONATE! You can give seeds, plants, or money via GreenTree between 6:00-9:00pm on Wednesdays, 10:00am-1:00pm on Sundays, or call Ely Wakefield (336) 577-1539 to arrange a drop-off time. Seeds and money can also be mailed (see back for address). Other needs are tools, water hoses, and a storage shed.

DIG IN! Each Saturday, between the hours of 9am-4pm, you can give of your time and energy by cleaning, weeding, watering, planting, or harvesting.

The Story of Sharing Manna Garden

In the spring of 2011, the dream of a garden began to take shape when a big group of members and friends of GreenTree shared the work of pulling out rocks and pavement behind the Community Center. What resulted was a 20×12 ft. patch of garden which produced peppers, zucchini, squash, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and other ripe vegetables. It was nice to see vegetables at our café counter, but we soon began to learn of needs in our community group and began to experience, firsthand, what it felt like to share food with others, straight from the ground of our property.

Now the garden has expanded in size and the opportunity has expanded with it. A year later, we’ve been able to remove trees and allow more space, making room for both raised-bed gardens and in-ground gardens. There is now room for a larger vegetable garden in the back area, an herb garden behind our adjacent building which will contain raised-bed and container gardens, a flower garden that fringes the front and sides of the Community Center with color, and a rain garden which will catch runoff from the gutter in the back of the building with water-resistant plants.

Drop-Off Times

Wednesdays 6-9 pm
Sundays 10am-1pm
Saturdays 9am-4pm

Work Times

Saturdays 9am-4pm

Benefits of a Community Garden

Beautifies the area
Helps the environment
Encourages teamwork
Inspires sharing with the community
Contributes tangible food resources
Teaches life skills and personal independence
Provides opportunity for physical exercise
Offers potential for friendships
Saves money
Grants opportunities to teach and involve youth

For More Information Contact Us!