Dig It! Community Gardens

Objective(s): 1. to increase community enrichment, through enhanced social interaction, cross-generational and cultural mentorship; 2. to create opportunities for community members to voluntarily serve and support health priorities of the community

Timeline: January 1 - December 2018 (annual)
Funder: Comprehensive Pain Specialists (Saginaw, MI)
Project Coordinator: Katie Trotter (populationhealth@mihia.org)

The Michigan Health Improvement Alliance (MiHIA) Dig It! Community Gardens is an on-going annual project which creates opportunity and community enrichment across MiHIA's 14-counties. Community gardens are created to provide opportunities for physical activity, social interaction, therapy and access to fresh vegetables for residents in the MiHIA region. Additionally, community gardens create opportunities for community members to voluntarily serve and support health priorities of the community. The gardens are developed in collaboration with the entities on which the gardens are provided. Commitment to sustaining their site's garden, through continued programming and appropriately dedicated resource allocation has been given for each of the garden site organizations.

Significance

Lack of access to fresh fruits and vegetables has been identified as a barrier to healthy eating in our central Michigan region. The USDA defines food insecurity as a “lack of access, at times, to enough food for an active, healthy life for all household members and limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate foods.” The food insecurity rate is 14.5% for the central Michigan area. The national benchmark is 1% indicating the work that needs to be done to reach the national standard in our surrounding communities.

Community health improvement plans in our central Michigan region have identified the need to increase the number of community gardens as a key strategy to improve our regional health status.

Goals and Key Strategies

Goal 1: Develop one (1) new, or expanded, community garden site in a new county (per year)

Key Strategy: Identify communities with a level of readiness to implement a community garden

2018 in Saginaw County Funder: Anonymous community donor

Saginaw YMCA
Although a small number of raised garden beds already existed at the site, this project focused on expanding and enhancing the current community garden program at the Saginaw YMCA. A new garden shed will be installed and new garden tools will be purchased and used by the volunteers who maintain the gardens and student who participate in garden programming. "Build Day" is TBD.

2017 in Sanilac County Funder: Marlette Regional Hospital

Marlette Regional Hospital
This project was made possible with multiple local donors or sponsors in Sanilac County. There was a sponsor for all the seeds and another for all the starter plants. A local company that specializes in identifying soil needs provided soil testing to maximize plant growth and served as a volunteer hotline when questions arose about how to plant and continued plant care.

2016 in Bay County Funder: Bay Area Community Foundation

Bush Elementary
Students at Essexville-Hampton Public Schools’ Bush Elementary have hands-on horticultural experiences. Two raised beds were built for planting and also built a 'pea pod and bean house' out of bamboo.

2015 in Midland County Funder: Dow Chemical Company

Community Mental Health for Central Michigan – Midland County
The Midland branch of the Community Mental Health for Central Michigan’s garden serves as a strategic destination for staff and clients of all ages to interact outside of the office environment.

The Midland Community Center
The Midland Community Center’s garden were enhanced by building raised beds, allowing children, the elderly, and those with limited mobility, an opportunity to actively participate in the garden’s preparation, care and harvest.

Windover High School
The garden located at Windover High School, of the Midland Public School system, has been used to harvest produce as part of their culinary program to build employable skill sets for their students.

STATUS: In Progress - Implementation efforts are underway for the 2018 garden project; garden sites were successfully implemented in 2015, 2016, and 2017