Fishbone Ministries plants community garden
The former Island playground in Butler was bustling Monday, even though the basketball hoops and swingsets are long gone.
Fishbone Ministries of Butler is getting help this week from volunteers from a Michigan church to clean up the property and prepare it for a community garden.
Eagle Printing Co., publisher of the Butler Eagle and Cranberry Eagle, which owned the property, donated the site to the ministry and supports the project.
“We've been given the property,” said Tom Bowser, ministry founder. “One of the visions is to have a community garden, which will happen next year.”
Volunteers from Midland Evangelical Free Church in Midland, Mich., are spending this week converting an old pavilion into a garden shed, painting the fencing and cleaning debris from the basketball courts.
The next step is to prepare 15 raised flower beds for vegetables that will be planted next spring.
“After discussion with the Eagle Media board, it was decided that since we had no future plans for the use of the property, it would be very positive for the community and especially the families on the island if we donated the land to a church organization such as Fishbone Ministries,” said Ron Vodenichar, Eagle president and publisher.
“They were already involved with the kids living in the neighborhood and even owned some property here. We trust that Mr. Bowser and his group will continue their Christian-based work on the island and use the gift as way to serve even more people. The community garden is a wonderful idea, and we wish them a bountiful harvest in many ways.”
Strawberry plants will be planted this year and, hopefully, will bloom next year, said Allison Gould, who is Bowser's daughter and is coordinating the garden project for the ministry.“We're starting to get it ready this year,” Gould said. “By the spring, we're going to start planting. We'll encourage the community to help us plant and care for garden. It will be available for anyone to come pick from. We'll also have a kids garden.”Once completed, the shed will have gutters and downspouts that collect and send rainwater to barrels that will serve as reservoirs for watering the garden and cleaning produce, she said.Even with a garden and shed, there is a lot of space available for other activities and projects at the former playground.The ministry is considering adding swings, a new pavilion, picnic table and expanding the garden in the future.“We would love to expand the garden once we see there are more hands on deck and the community is involved,” Gould said.
She said community gardens benefit residents and fit the ministry's goal to glorify God.“There has been a lot of reflection on community gardens across country,” Gould said. “Places with community gardens have a lower crime rate and a sense of community. Community gardens help with mental and physical health.”Members of the Midland Evangelical Free Church in Michigan have been coming to Butler for the last 15 years to help the ministry run its vacation Bible school at Rotary Park and assist Grace Youth and Family Foundation with the city's summer recreation program at city parks and other community service projects, said Kim Anderson, a church volunteer leader.“We do whatever work God puts before us,” Anderson said.She said the church has developed a good relationship with Fishbone and Grace Youth and Family.“They're a good example of people helping others,” Anderson said. “There are really some beautiful people in Butler. We love the people we work with. We can see God in what they do.”
