Antioch community garden opens
Ever since Melonnie Hartl started taking classes last summer at College of Lake County and saw its community garden, she knew she wanted to bring one to Antioch.
With that goal accomplished this summer, Antioch's new community garden is now gearing up for its first project — a “grow and give mission” to donate a portion of the harvest to the needy in mid-August through September.
The farmers who own a plot at the community garden agree to donate a portion of their harvest to those in need at the Open Arms Mission.
“It's in the community spirit. Antioch is just a really special town,” said Hartl, the garden coordinator. “The community garden is what Antioch is all about. We are small and try to help each other and grow as a community.”
Hartl, the force behind the project, worked with the village's environmental commission to make her dream of a “growing and giving” garden a reality.
The inspiration, she said, was CLC's community garden — with an extra push from her horticulture teacher to bring it to life. Rory Klick, head of CLC's horticulture departments and Hartl's teacher, started the college's community garden now in its third year.
“When I first came to CLC and saw the community garden I thought ‘Wow! Why don't we have one of these in Antioch?' If all communities have one of these we would be more aware of where our food comes from,” she said.
Hartl had previously volunteered at the Open Arms Mission, and she thought the community garden would be the perfect opportunity to give back.
Open Arms Mission at 1548 S. Main St., in Antioch, is a food pantry that serves Antioch and Lake Villa. It distributes nonperishable food, milk and frozen meat. Every week, it serves about 85 senior citizens and 52 families who are homebound.
“I think it's a wonderful gift for the clients that may not have an opportunity for fresh produce. And we know with the garden, it's not so much the expense but the time and effort that goes into it. It's a wonderful example of the community coming together to help their neighbors,” said Open Arms Mission Director Marytherese Ambacher.
The community garden at Depot and Main streets opened June 16 and has 22 10-foot by 20-foot plots. Hartl plans to expand it next year to 30 plots.
Currently planted in the garden are tomatoes, peppers, green beans, carrots, lettuce, onions, cabbage, cauliflower, peas and squash, among many other vegetables.
The amount of produce donated to Open Arms Mission is up to the individual gardeners, and also depends on how well their harvest does.
Antioch's community garden is the first big project for the environmental commission and officials plan to expand it next year by building a pavilion at the site. The pavilion will be used for workshops and classes to educate people on healthy eating and composting.
“Our vision is also to be a learning and vision garden. I know I have changed the way I eat and I consider the environment more than I used to,” Hartl said. “I think that's kind of a trend we are seeing and I think it's important for the garden to be there as a demonstration of healthy eating and environmental concerns to show where our food has come from.”