Beauty and bountiful nutrition is blooming around Kelowna含羞草研究社檚 含羞草研究社榯ent city含羞草研究社�.

Debbie, a resident of the popular encampment along the rail-trail, is the brains behind the blossoming community garden. She broke ground after being gifted a couple of seedlings. Since then, the garden has grown plentifully.

Garth, her partner, is the 含羞草研究社渕uscle含羞草研究社� behind the project and Kismet, her puppy, provides snuggles.

含羞草研究社淲hen I first mentioned it to bylaw, they kind of rolled their eyes at me,含羞草研究社� said Debbie. 含羞草研究社淣ow that they含羞草研究社檝e seen it, they含羞草研究社檙e more on board.含羞草研究社�

Debbie hopes that by 含羞草研究社渂eautifying含羞草研究社� the encampment, people will start to see the humanity of those experiencing homelessness.

含羞草研究社淭hey don含羞草研究社檛 see us as people,含羞草研究社� said Debbie.

She said that her community can hear the degrading remarks pedestrians make as they pass by, and it hurts their feelings.

含羞草研究社淢aybe if we make it prettier along here, it would give people something to be proud of含羞草研究社� and people would see us as human.含羞草研究社�

She said that there has been great community involvement in the project and that residents have been enjoying the flowers and produce from the garden.

During the interview at 含羞草研究社榯ent city含羞草研究社� residents of the encampment came up to Debbie, asking for direction on harvesting vegetables and to ask permission to add some plants of their own.

She said that having a productive project to work on, like a garden, gives people a purpose, which is beneficial for mental health.

含羞草研究社淲hen you don含羞草研究社檛 have things to do, it can become destructive.含羞草研究社�

Debbie hopes to grow even more produce next year. This year, the garden boasts a harvest of zucchini, kale, tomatoes, strawberries and cauliflower, to name a few.

She wants to give the residents increased access to fresh and healthy foods, like vegetables, since the donated food that residents of the encampment rely on is typically processed and non-perishable.

Debbie is also growing an assortment of flowers, planted around the vegetables. Garth is typically in charge of watering the plants, an arduous task in the hot summers with only a single water fountain to use.

Next spring, she would like to hold a plant swap where locals could exchange cuttings of prolific plants to expand their garden variety.

After being gifted an armful of fresh-picked produce, Capital News reports that the zucchinis and tomatoes are delicious.

Jacqueline.Gelineau@kelownacapnews.com
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