Junior League members gathered on Sunday, October 9 to give the Oasis Community Garden some much-needed improvements ahead of its upcoming event, Jack-o-Lantern Jamboree. The service activity was part of the League's ongoing "Done in a Day" series of monthly community service events.
Volunteers re-painted a picnic table and benches and cleaned out both the community kitchen and the gardener's shed. It was a fun and productive morning, with only a handful of black widows harmed in the making.
The Oasis Community Garden has been a central program for the League since purchasing the land in 2002. Oasis was the next step after the "Kids in the Kitchen" project, which aimed to fight childhood obesity in Ogden by teaching local children nutrition and healthy lifestyle choices. Oasis extended that goal by creating a space for local families to grow their own food and access fresh produce.
Located on Monroe Boulevard between 24th and 25th Streets, the once derelict inner-city lot of 2002 has now been transformed into an urban oasis, with 38 agricultural plots, two garden sheds, fruit trees, a dry stream bed, seasonal restroom enclosure, a grassy lawn area, lighting, a paved pathway, and even a hydroponic container farm owned by Ogden Produce Company. (To learn more about Steve Ballard, his daughter and former Jr. JLO Lucy, and the Ogden Produce Co., check out this awesome feature in The Standard Examiner.) All of these improvements have been made possible through generous financial and in-kind contributions from the community, including the Weber County Recreation, Arts, Museums, & Parks program (RAMP).
Oasis is a place to connect with food and the land it comes from, find peace and solace in an inner-city neighborhood, and bring the community together. There is a lot in store for the future of Oasis, and we hope you continue on the journey with us!
The goal of the Done in a Day series is to bring JLO members together on a monthly basis to provide important service to those areas of the community that need our help. Next month, we'll be taking our efforts to the Lantern House Homeless Shelter.