Every week, a group of inspired and empowered community members gather at the Kavanah Garden as part of our Tzedakah Garden Crew. This community is dedicated to growing food for vulnerable community members and for pollinators in need.

The Shoresh community is more than halfway through the Tzedakah Garden Crew 2019 season, and wow, how incredible it has been! We have had speakers at the beginning of each session run a workshop, or discussion about a variety of different topics. So far we have had an introduction to the Tzedakah Garden Crew, learned about Accessible Urban Sustainability, Pollinator Monitoring and Invasive Species! I can’t wait to see what the next weeks and guest speakers have to offer. Over the past four weeks, our volunteers have assisted in the harvest of over 16 pounds of produce that is directly donated to the local Jewish Food Bank, Chasdei Kiduri! This donation consists of herbs, peas, garlic, rhubarb, lettuce, chard and more in the coming weeks! The opportunity to be with community at Shoresh’s Kavanah Garden, to learn and to give back is a very unique and special one. With different volunteers, comes different perspectives and experiences that all play a part in creating the Tzedakah Garden Crew.

Take Talya, one of our all-star volunteers. Talya joined the Tzedakah Garden Crew in 2018 and has “never looked back!” When asked what some of the highlights of the Garden Crew were for her, she responded.

“One of the highlights, are the people that come and volunteer! It is really nice to be in nature and weed and help out a good cause. I love the atmosphere here. The experience and the knowledge can vary amongst the people who come, but everyone feels welcome and that is something special and really hard to achieve!” Referring to our new Guest Speaker series that kick off the Tzedakah Garden Crew every week, Talya said “Something I really love that you do this year are those talks, they are so brilliant! It’s learning for fun, about something you love!

Another volunteer that has been attending the Tzedakah Garden Crew since 2018 is Eden, when asked what the most important part about the Garden Crew was for her, she responded; “I like that we are giving back and I like being outside, so those two are probably the most important to me. I like helping out around the community and meeting new people!” 

Since meeting last year, Eden and Talya have become friends outside of the Tzedakah Garden Crew, staying in contact and deepening the sense of community that Shoresh intends to create.

Come to learn, come to participate in organic sustainable agriculture, come for community and come for the opportunity to give back to community members that benefit from the work done at the Tzedakah Garden Crew! For details, click here.