Colorado Springs’ budget might be starving, but some city workers turned the famine into an opportunity to grow food for the poor.
City budget cuts this year hit broadly — street lights, park maintenance, and they even scrapped plans to fill the beds behind city hall with flowers.
That’s when city sustainability coordinator Carrie McCausland suggested the city’s Green Team plant vegetables in the boxes and donate the food to the Care and Share Food Bank for Southern Colorado.
“The city has budget woes, but there’s still a lot we can do,” said Nick Kittle, public works team leader and Green Team member.
City workers committed to tending the environment and “greening” the city began the Green Team as volunteers. Two years later, about 60 people participate regularly, doing such things as holding “green bag” educational luncheons to promoting recycling programs, Kittle said.
Kittle said he hopes the two veggie-filled beds, collectively about 20 feet by 20 feet, inspire the folks walking by to consider a garden of their own.
“It’s about making a statement and about thinking locally,” Kittle said. To encourage a good yield, the Green Team asked for the help of Pikes Peak Urban Gardens, a nonprofit dedicated to teaching people how to garden.
“We wanted it to be both nutritious and also good to look at,” said Larry Stebbins, director of Pikes Peak Urban Gardens. Beans, broccoli, asparagus and rhubarb will sprout alongside the colorful “Bright Lights” Swiss chard and rainbow carrots.
The plot should yield 156 pounds of produce, Stebbins said, about a year’s serving for an adult.
Locally grown food is healthier, Stebbins said, because food begins losing nutrients the moment it is picked. The first harvest is expected in early June and will go to the Care and Share Food Bank.
“We are just thrilled when we can establish relationships with these local garden efforts,” said Melissa Martins, chief programs officer for Care and Share. Care and Share strives to provide 80 percent fresh food to clients rather than just the boxed and processed products that typically line food-pantry shelves.
She called the effort a small bright spot for a city facing plenty of criticism in recent months. “It shows the resilience of our community that even in tough times people are finding a way to make a difference.”
Volunteer workers often tend the garden during their lunch breaks, creating a sense of community and partnership among city employees too, Kittle said.
“When you’re in your office all day, there’s nothing better than going out in the sun and getting a little dirt under the fingernails,” he said.
Heather McWilliams: 303-954-1698 or hmcwilliams@denverpost.com
