Gifts of Dirt Garden
The Gifts of Dirt (GOD) Garden is dedicated to growing food for local food banks, and flowers for the community. It is a place to provide sustenance of all kinds – hard work, community connection, new learning, and good nutritious food.
Grace Liaison: Pegge Ashcroft
The “Gifts of Dirt” garden is blessed!
Rogation Day | May 5, 2024
Despite threatening clouds, the only sprinkles in the garden were from parishioners blessing the new plants with holy water! It was a time of great joy, as Reverend Eric and parishioners prayed at each corner of the garden and then sang “Inch by Inch, Row by Row” while [BL1] [FM2] waving wet branches over seedling starts. The happy group concluded the rogation with a tea table filled with delectable offerings. Thanks to Kathleen Abell and Cindy Logan for their organization and yummy food, and to Ann Strickland for leading us in song with her ukulele. Special thanks to Reverend Eric for a lovely liturgy. It was a very sweet time together.
Gifts of Dirt Garden 2023 Success
Gifts of Dirt donated 3,339 pounds of fresh produce to Helpline House in 2023!
We also shared thousands and thousands of beautiful flowers! Read more about our flower ministry below.
Our fearless Vegetable Lead, Barbara Simonsen
John McKenzie created a beautiful video about the garden.
Grace’s Gifts of Dirt garden is made up of roughly 1/3 to 1/2 flowers!
What do we do with so many flowers?
Our first and foremost recipient of our flowers is the charitable group on the island called Island Volunteer Caregivers (IVC.) For six weeks, starting in mid-July each year, IVC collects home-grown flowers from all over the island on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. At 10:30 each morning, the buckets of flowers pour in, and the bouquet makers get moving. Later in the day, deliveries are made by other volunteers. The program is called “Flowers from the Heart.” (Our own Mary Hall initiated the program many years ago.) In 2023, 800 bouquets were gifted to those in need of a little cheer! Gifts of Dirt donates about 20 big buckets of flowers a week to this cause. The garden flowers were so abundant this year that we decided to copy IVC’s program for Grace — thus “Blessing Bouquets” was born! Pastoral Care provides us with names, and we make and deliver happy bouquets. On another front, when we have the manpower, Gifts of Dirt makes little “tin can bouquets” for Helpline, usually once a month. The garden also provides flowers for the altar arrangements at Grace. The abundance of flowers from Gifts of Dirt is truly astonishing! Sometimes we just sit back in awe and wonder, trying to take in the miracle. The “Flower Ladies” (as we have become known as) include: Rachel Brandt, Necie Toohey, Pegge Ashcroft, Pam Wachtler, and Marguerite Thomas.
Directions to Gifts of Dirt Garden from Grace Church
Turn left on to Day Road and then at the light turn left/south on 305.
Turn right onto Sportsmans Club Road, then make an immediate right onto Wardwell.
Follow Wardwell to the left, then go about 1/4 mile until you come to a three way fork in the road: Wardwell continues to the right, McRedmond continues straight ahead, and Bucsit is a gravel road on the left. Take Bucsit for about 1/8 mile until you see Belle Hill Road to your right. Go up the hill of Belle Hill Rd until the drive again splits into three
The address you should see is 8595 NE Belle Hill Road. Stay to the left of these three “driveways” and follow the small winding dirt road to the garden.
Please be respectful of neighbors and don’t use your GPS. That will take you through their private property.
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