2022 Annual Report

meditation, or something with specific cultural meaning, and we want to give a space for people to do it in their own way. These spaces have a ripple effect of providing a place for people to find community.” Through Thrive, Steve has been able to connect with others to share resources, opportunities, and expertise. Over time, Hale Garden has developed into hub for community members, including immigrant residents who connect over shared culture and grow food from home that is not available in the NRV. This garden is also popular with Virginia Tech students who do not have access to gardens at apartment complexes. The pocket gardens are designed to serve the neighborhood residents that live near them. In addition to the ability to grow fresh food, the gardens offer educational opportunities to the community, gathering spaces, and plenty of plants for pollinators. If you are involved in food security or food access work and want connect with Thrive, please reach out to our team at 540-381-8999 or cfnrv@cfnrv.org. Learn more about the network at cfnrv.org/thrive.

Growing Food & Relationships Stewarding a special place like Blacksburg’s five acre Hale Garden is part of the work that the team at Live, Work, Eat, Grow gets to do each day. Created in 2009 after Arlean Lambert donated the land, the garden’s former coordinator Jenny Schwanke spearheaded the growth of the space alongside community organizations and residents. With one flourishing community garden in town, additional interest has spurred the development of two smaller “pocket” gardens with 15 plots each: the Garrison Garden in Cedar Hill Park and the Wong Park Garden off Wilson Street. These gardens all center around empowering and enabling people to grow their own food. Steve Kruger from Live, Work, Eat, Grow says there are numerous benefits to this model of community gardening: “For a lot of people growing food is an act of expression, or Live, Work, Eat, Grow, Inc. received a Responsive grant in 2021. Photos courtesy of Live, Work, Eat, Grow, and Charlie Herbert

Volunteers work in the Giles Community Garden.

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2021 - 2022 ANNUAL REPORT