A community on the outskirts of Worcester will soon be able to harvest, eat and sell their very own vegetables from their very own garden. But this is no ordinary garden… it is a garden with a FoodTent in it.
This community established a Kibbutz as a means of sowing into the community through a variety of programmes. A FoodTent was built in their already successful vegetable garden so as to add to the harvest they produce. This extra yield will be sold to generate an income that will be used to pay the community members who work in the garden.
A FoodTent is made of shade cloth and can be erected in 45 minutes. It stands 2m high, 4m wide and 9m long. This revolutionary, make-shift greenhouse increases the production of fruit and vegetables significantly, feeding approximate fifty people per month.
This particular build took place on the 9th October and began with a warm welcome from the members of the community that included a basic introduction on how the Kibbutz started and how the FoodTent would benefit them.
After the group was broken up into teams everyone got cracking with great enthusiasm. It was wonderful seeing men from the community working side by side with those from CCI Growthcon (the sponsors of this particular FoodTent). At the same time the ladies (assisted by one or two gents) became experts in tent building. Spirits remained high as quirky comments were thrown back and forth between the two teams about their abilities to do the tasks at hand!
The thing that stood out most during the day was how willing the group of people was to get involved in the build and make the whole outing a meaningful experience. As the men watered the plants, the ladies visited the crèche (also run by the Kibbutz) where they handed out sweets and spent time playing the beautiful children.
This team work highlights the fact that FoodTents is more than just planting vegetables and erecting a structure. It encompasses a mind set, a way of thinking, encouraging people to take action and make a sustainable change for society. It is about empowering people so that they can then empower themselves.
A special thank you to everyone from CCI Growthcon for making the day possible; as well as to Megan, Shepherd and John from heart.
We have two builds planned for November thus far, with more to come in the festive season and we would love to have you join us! If you feel like this project is up your alley then please click here for more information. We are looking forward to hearing from you.