Floodgate damaged by Patricia remnants
October 27, 2015
Galliano youngster takes home prestigious Wally Trophy
October 27, 2015
Fall has arrived and Thibodaux’s community garden is laying the groundwork for another bountiful season.
Freshly tilled rows of soil cover an expanse of land behind the Rienzi Terrace Apartments and Warren J. Harang Municipal Auditorium on Canal Street, seeds have been delicately sown and nurturing hands of volunteers and garden workers are giving the soon-to-be crops tender, loving care on a weekly basis. Work on St. Francis Vegetable Garden’s fall crops began in September and since then, small groups eager to help the garden grow have stopped by to be part of the effort.
The garden, established in 2014 to provide local produce to Lafourche Parish residents who may not be able to afford healthy options, currently boasts seasonal delights like cauliflower, broccoli, turnips, beets, lettuce, spinach, brussels sprouts and carrots, according to the garden’s coordinator Kimber Ratcliff. Once ready, produce is harvested and donated to area food banks to help more people in the community make nutritious choices.
On Oct. 22, work began on the garden’s newest addition – an outdoor classroom that will allow for on-site education. Construction of a gazebo area and water fountain is made possible through a grant from the Lorio Foundation, a non-profit organization that funds community projects.
“We have a lot of school groups coming for field trips,” Ratcliff said. “With the outdoor classroom, that means we’ll have a covered place out of the heat for teachers to do lessons, give presentations and for everyone to eat lunch. It will be a place for volunteers to relax as well.”
One of the groups lending a hand to the upkeep and care of the garden is Capital One Bank. Local volunteers from the bank spent much of the morning on Oct. 21 planting seeds, weeding rows and fertilizing produce already sown. Over 30 volunteer projects will be completed in October by Capital One Bank associates across the state to support local non-profit organizations and help meet the needs of the communities in which volunteers live and work, according to a company press release.
“It’s something we’ve done in the past and we really like the project because that garden yields volumes of vegetables,” Capital One Bank Tri-Parish Market President Robbie Naquin said. “That volume is donated to food banks in Lafourche Parish and it reinforces the importance of fresh food in the area.”
He said the project is a great way to bring together associates and executives of different area branches who may not interact on a daily basis to “get their hands dirty, enjoy being out and spend time together.”
Capital One Bank volunteers also helped stake off areas for trucks to park during Rienzi Market, the mid-week farmer’s market held at the garden site, which returned Oct. 15 for its second run. The market, started in spring 2015, offers local growers a space to sell everything from shiitake mushrooms to fresh fish and herbs. The market is open from 3:30 to 5:30 each Thursday and will last eight weeks, Ratcliff said. In the two weeks since the market’s opening, 15 farmers have been added to the lineup.
“It was crazy good,” Ratcliff said of the market’s first week. “We added some more farmers this week and they are bringing everything they’ve got. We’re really happy with how things are going so far.” •
