Westport Lions Club

Elizabeth Wesolowskis is a dedicated volunteer at the Westport Lions Community Garden.

Westport Lions Roar

By Lion Bob Reddick

The Westport Lions Community Garden (WLCG) was created in 2021 with the vision to create a place where people can grow vegetables for themselves and the Westport Food Bank. 

The garden is located next to Westport’s water tower, on property owned by the village of Westport.  It consists of 20 garden beds, each measuring four by eight feet, but there is room for expansion if needed. To help offset the costs of building the beds, installing fencing, buying plants, and preparing the soil, the club charges $20 for each garden bed. However, if a gardener donates all their produce to the food bank, their plot is free. The Westport Lions will gratefully accept sponsorships of one or more beds from individuals, organizations, or companies. This year, there were five individuals who rented a bed to grow vegetables for themselves, and Lion volunteers planted and maintained the other 15 beds for the food bank.

Anyone who has a surplus of vegetables can take them to the Westport Food Bank on the second and fourth Thursday of each month from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m.  The food bank is located in the Soho building on Bedford Street between St. Edward Catholic Church and Rideau Pizza.

Like all Lion initiatives, the club does not act in isolation.  There are a number of people who contributed to the success of the WLCG.  The club wishes to extend a special thank you to Elizabeth Wesolowskis, who faithfully waters the gardens during this hot, dry summer.  Grace Lloyd helped plant in the spring, and Matt Madden supplied wood chips to help make the garden aesthetically pleasing. Nancy Wallace and Ridgecraft Garden Shop donated plants. Pat Reddick assisted in planting, watering, weeding, and picking vegetables for the food bank. 

Also, Pat secured a $50 voucher from SEEDit to obtain plants.  SEEDit is an initiative funded and supported by The Commonwell Mutual Insurance Group with the goal of improving local food security.

Each spring, SEEDit provides vouchers to help families and community groups start and grow vegetable gardens with the intention of sharing a portion of the harvest with the community. Since SEEDit’s inception in 2021, it estimates that over 60,000 lbs. of food have been shared with food banks, neighbours, and friends. This year, 7,145 vouchers were distributed within nine hours of registration opening. If you wish to obtain a garden plot for next year or sponsor one, please contact the Westport Lions at westportontariolions@gmail.com or call 613-273-5789 and press option three to leave a message and along with your callback number.