Almost 10 years ago when Central Montana Resource Council (CMRC) was just a new affiliate, a group of members interested in regenerative agriculture were concerned about the food insecurity they were seeing in Lewistown and wanted to do something about it. The dream was to find a way to donate quality, organic produce to folks who need it and create long-lasting community change by teaching people to grow and cook their own food.
So in 2014, two CMRC members donated a 1,000 square foot lot, and the Green Share Garden Project was born. They have a robust garden volunteer program, and over the years have donated lots of produce to the Community Cupboard and Council on Aging. Once the pandemic hit, they began Tuesday night garden giveaways. Every Tuesday night, anyone from the community is welcome to take a bag and go grocery shopping for produce, for free. As of this summer, they have fed up to 80 people in one night with fresh veggies.
The Green Share Garden Project also organized the “Fergus Fresh” series. This was a three part series of workshops on topics like rebuilding healthy soil, compost basics, and how to build and plant your own raised beds.
Thanks to Green Share volunteers, Lewistown has been building a culture around growing their own food, and building a community through food and gardening; and they’re just getting started! We’re so impressed to see this local affiliate living and spreading Northern Plains’ local food values with such a successful project!
