The DePaul Urban Garden (DUG) will begin summer volunteer days for students, faculty, and staff starting June 21 every Thursday and Sunday. If you would like to join a group of people passionate about how and where their food is produced, attend our mandatory Orientation at 6:00pm on Monday June 18, 2012. Orientation will be held in the Richardson Library Rosati Room 300.
The DUG is a student-led urban agriculture project overseen by the university's Urban Farming Organization. The garden grows on the corner of Belden Ave. & Bissell St., and consists of 14 recycled-content raised bed containers with plans to add alternative burlap, tire, vertical, and glass bottle beds over the summer months. Tomatoes, peppers, basil, strawberries, tomatillos, leafy greens, and much more are already growing in the garden and the greenhouse! No experience is necessary in order to volunteer - growing food is a learning experience.
Where does the food go, you ask? Well, half of each weekly harvest will be donated to a local food pantry through the university, while the other half will be divided amongst that week's volunteers in the DUG Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Program. This project is unique because it gives volunteers a chance to become a part of their local food system in a very unique way, with a minimum time contribution of 1 hour or more per week. More detailed information about CSA can be found at Local Harvest.
To volunteer at the DUG, RSVP for the mandatory orientation by emailing garden general manager Faith Kohler at depaulUFO@gmail.com. If you cannot attend the June 18 session, contact Faith to schedule a make-up orientation.
The next Urban Farming Organization meeting will be held Monday, May 21 in McGowan South room 404. There will be a presentation about CSA and some delicious snacks!
Also stay tuned in for our upcoming Seedling Sale Fundraiser on Thursday, May 24! We will be selling a variety of herbs, flowers, strawberries, tomatoes, peppers, and more on the new Kenmore Green, an open space designated for improving sustainability across campus in accordance with the university's master plan.
The DUG will be hosting a series of workshops, speakers, potlucks, and other events all summer long, so check back for updates!
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