WALC’s new summer program, GROW: Gardening for Resilience, Opportunity, and Wisdom, is officially taking root this June with our Women & Children program. This marks not only the first season of GROW, but also the first time WALC will be tending a community garden of our own, a milestone we’re incredibly proud of.
We are very grateful to St. Andrew’s Church in Oshkosh for welcoming this project and providing such a beautiful space for our participants to learn, grow, and connect with the land. Their generosity has made it possible for us to bring this vision to life.
Last fall, our project partners at the Oshkosh Seed Savers helped us prepare the garden by laying down a winter tarp to naturally suppress the grass and begin restoring the soil. That early groundwork set the stage for everything happening now.
This May, our team has jumped in with both hands, building a fence, setting up planting beds, gathering supplies, and getting everything ready for the launch of GROW. And we haven’t been doing it alone.
We were fortunate to have two wonderful volunteer groups join us during this busy season of preparation. On the Day of Caring, organized by the Oshkosh Area United Way, a hardworking team from Oshkosh Corporation helped us build the garden fence. The very next day, volunteers from the Service League of Oshkosh rolled up their sleeves to create pathways and set up planting beds throughout the garden plot. Their time, energy, and enthusiasm made a tremendous difference – we truly couldn’t do this without so many helpful hands.
As we count down to launch day, excitement is growing right alongside the garden itself. We can’t wait to see what this space becomes for the women and children who will nurture it.
