I am a firm believer in community gardens providing it is "Self-Help", not public, tax payer supported "entitlements",; I don't believe in "giveme dats !"
Sometimes people need just a little encouragement to see that they they can control their own livelihood and fate, especially when it comes to gardening and good, healthy food .
I spent a decade in a Church which had its own welfare assistance which was 'work fare'; you received assistance from the Church and were paid for work effort, "no freebies !"
While employed full time as LEO,I volunteered and plowed a 4 acre field for corn, and then canned that corn in a Church cannery, and even delivered Church Welfare food
to needy families, both members and non-members who were caught between 'a rock and a hard place'.
There was only one proviso for Church Welfare : that you NOT be receiving State (tax payer) Public Assistance, and that you participate in Church "work fare".
In the cannery, I worked alongside both people who were receiving Church work fare, a President of a fortune 100 company, and you didn't know who was which,..and it didn't matter;
we were all there to help provide sustenance for those less fortunate than ourselves, and we had a job to do !
It was through this volunteer effort that I realized how dependent we all are on our food sources; all that it would take is a truckers strike, gasoline or diesel shortage,
collapsing infrastructure, falling bridges, civil upheaval, or a natural disaster (earthquake/ flooding) to interrupt our food supplies.
As a result I got into "prepping", long term food storage, gardening and food production, and the use of heritage heirloom seeds as well as the use of hybrid plants.
Don't forget that our forefathers created 'spring houses' for refrigeration, smoke houses for meat preservation, and 'root cellars' for crop longevity and personal safety.
Additionally, they salted and home canned, and pickled their foods for preservation.
See ? All our forefathers were all farmers and gardeners, and what we now, conventionally, call: "preppers" (AKA - prudent, preparing for the unknowns of the future)
T I K
(P.S.- the last entry about "unusual vegetable varieties" (dated 2008) was included in my guerilla garden as they all are listed as heirloom tomatoes (save the seeds for future crop).
My fishing buddy in New Hampshire still grows beans that his great-great-great grandfather grew.
He always retains and holds back, 1/3 of the crop for future crops; this way even in crop failure, he keeps the seed variety from generation-to-generation, etc.)
It’s good to see and hear of the communities which have some kind of “workfare” as you described. It sometimes gives each of us as individuals the clue as to who we can help and who’s just looking for the handout. Twice in my life I’ve needed and received food from a church pantry but each time I was so greatful I volunteered much in return. I am sometimes very pleasantly surprised at the friendships that grow when I have given what to me is very little. We still have plenty of people in this country who do want to earn their way and are very happy to be given the opportunity.
The little church that started the community garden is about 35 miles from us so I don’t go over often. It’s in a town with a population of about 2000. There isn’t much work there and what work is available is mostly minimum wage. The garden is as you described, workfare. (Good term, I hadn’t heard it before and am going to share it) When I have been over it has been partially in teaching mode to teach soil conditioning, companion planting, crop rotation, water conservation in the garden etc. I’ve been told by more than one person that they never tried to grow their own food simply because they don’t know how. I’ve heard that the leadership has denied access to the garden to one family because they refused to participate in the work and I wholeheartedly support that! (They’re certainly able and not starving) I am not a member of that church and not close enough to work the garden other than pulling some weeds when I stop by. My friend and the pastor asked me to come share expertise and I never object to blathering on about gardening :)
The church is small. About 60-70 members. It is in the poor side of town so the bounty and work are extending to the surrounding part of town. Last year two ladies in thè church added a Tuesday evening “kids night” ministry. They pick up some of the kids, some walk over and a few have parents who bring them. A little work in the garden is included in kid’s night along with education on the nutrition therein. A nutritious meal is served with some kids involved in preperation, again imparting info on healthy eating. These are in no way Michelle Obama meals. The kids are also being taught hygeine such as hand washing and tooth brushing. And there’s always a Bible study lesson after the meal.
As you can tell by the topics i mentioned being taught, many of these kids don’t have much of a home life. But that sort of grassroots effort at genuine help of people is SO much better than welfare. Even though that church is a little far for us to drive and not our “brand.” We are VERY happy to visit there and put a generous amount in their collection plate from time to time.
I have also volunteered this year to go teach pressure canning when the produce starts coming in. Frankly, it’s another area where it’s no hardship to go talk incessantly about something I enjoy. (Just like I’ve now done in this comment ;))