Templeton Hills Community Farm Prepares for First Anniversary Celebration •

TEMPLETON – Templeton Hills Community Farm is celebrating on Sunday the 18th. April, their first anniversary.

Farm members invite everyone to a farm tour, refreshments and fresh produce to celebrate serving their community for one year.

The farm is open to all church members and is located between Templeton Hills Seventh-day Adventist Church and the school.

The farm opened in March 2020, shortly after the pandemic began. But despite the confinement, the farm managed to more than double its yields in one year.

Pastor Zach Page of Templeton Hills Seventh-day Adventist Church said: In those difficult times when people felt socially isolated, the farm became a place where people of all ages could connect with each other in a safe outdoor environment.

Since opening to the public, the farm has purchased another greenhouse and new expansion plans are in the works. The farm would like a feed washing facility and a container for storing root crops such as potatoes and garlic.

There are even plans to hold courses on the farm. Matt Giese and his wife hope to teach cooking and gardening classes on the farm, but the possibilities are endless.

Mr. Giese works as a farm manager and as a gardener in schools and churches.

Some people come to learn, others are experts who want to be part of something bigger, and still others come just to enjoy fresh, local, naturally grown produce, Page said.

The farm has become a place where families can spend quality time together and where children can roam freely and learn to grow their own food.

Paige said: We hear the parents talking: For the first time, my kids enjoy eating their vegetables because they know where they come from and are involved in growing them! That’s why we’re here. The goal is to make a difference in people’s lives.

Every Sunday from 9am to 3pm, people come to the farm to volunteer. During the week Giese manages the farm and makes a list of tasks to be done on Sunday.

After collecting the products, the volunteers take their share of the goods home. Sometimes additional elements, such as. B. Grapefruits, donated and added to anyone who takes an item for the week.

On Sundays, volunteers man the farm stand at the edge of the farm parking lot, where you can often pick up bunches of produce!

The Templeton Hills Community Farm is open to all members of the community. Anyone can volunteer their time or make a donation in exchange for the items collected, but no one in need will be turned away.

Paige said: We look forward to the anniversary event at our farm on the 18th. April. In the first year we were able to more than double the number of plants grown. This is a great opportunity for anyone who has not yet visited our farm to see how it has developed.

For more information about the farm, visit templetonhills.adventistfaith.org/templeton-hills-community-farm or follow their Facebook page @grow.give.service.