A local non-profit organization has sprouted a new rooftop vegetable garden as food costs rise.
Our Place Society, along with FED and $10,000 from RBC Foundation, has created the rooftop garden to help provide fresher vegetables for its meals.
The project, part of Our Place’s green initiative, was planted around one month ago according to director of communications Grant McKenzie. He said Our Place currently has around 20 planters on its roof.
McKenzie said the new garden has been brought on because of rising food costs and a desire to keep nutrition in their meals.
“Food costs have been quite dramatic,” said McKenzie. “We’re certainly finding that we’re having to expand how we green our operation but try to keep our cost down as much as possible.”
Our Place has felt the increase in costs despite its partnership with Farmlands Trust, which is able to provide food to Our Place but only in harvest season, according to McKenzie.
The rooftop garden is adding to the New Roads therapeutic recovery community in View Royal, where residents are growing fresh vegetables and providing eggs from their chicken roost.
Our Place says nutrition is a big part of the society’s food options, and growing fresh food is a good way to provide that nutrition.
“We really want to make sure that we’re giving people the really proper nutrition,” said McKenzie.
They plan to grow any vegetables that the kitchen staff prefers for their meals.
Our Place hopes to expand the gardens to other rooftops in Tiny Town as funding becomes more available.
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Justin Waddell
