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Date: 6/30/2021
CHICOPEE – Chicopee Community Garden is in the process of expanding to their second location at Rivers Park.
The original community garden is located in Lincoln Grove Park. In 2014, the idea for the garden was formed and the Chicopee Community Garden Committee met with the Mayor’s Office and Planning Department to further develop the concept.
Through the Healthy Food Fund grant from Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, the Chicopee Community Garden Committee was able to receive $5,000 to help fund the park.
On Aug. 1, 2015 there was a groundbreaking at the Lincoln Grove location.
“It was so grassroots. It was wheelbarrows, gloves, rakes, shovels, cardboard, the wood to build the 6 x12 beds and that was it. We got it done and we did 19 beds that day and it was incredible. We just worked really hard and we got it all done,” said Chicopee Community Garden Committee member Kimberly Morrissette.
Since then, the Lincoln Grove garden has added more beds to accommodate those with disabilities and handicaps. There are now 22 plots at the Lincoln Grove location.
Morrissette said that the committee hopes to eventually expand into all of the parks in the city.
Any resident of Chicopee is able to apply to the community garden. There is a $25 application fee, though Morrissette said that no one is turned away.
“No one is turned away. The reason we ask for the $25 is exactly that. That all goes toward if someone can’t afford the plot fee and also goes for tools, equipment, maintenance of the garden and all of those things,” she said.
Applications go out in the early spring and, this year, the Lincoln Grove garden filled all of their spots. Each person receives a 6 x12 plot from May to October where they can go in and garden at any time.
Morrissette said that the Chicopee Community Garden also does fundraisers and accepts donations to help keep the garden going with topsoil additions, purchases of manure, fertilizer and new equipment.
In 2019, they hosted a Yoga and Cocktails event for $25 where anyone who attended could do an hour of yoga on the backside of the garden and then receive a voucher to get a garden-themed drink at a local establishment.
“It was so well-received. We had about 40 participants. It was a great, great turnout and we had hoped to do it last summer, but with COVID-19 we weren’t able to. So we are hoping to get something in the works again depending on guidelines,” said Morrissette.
One of the Chicopee Community Garden’s original missions was to help fight food insecurity in the area, according to Morrissette.
“It was incredibly important for us to first and foremost address food insecurity in our community. This is where it all comes from in being a good neighbor and we wanted to promote that idea of community and wellness for our neighbors. This was a way to promote health, wellness and sustainability and provide green-space to all of our residents in a dignified manner,” she said.
The River Park expansion will have 18 gardening plots. In 2019, the Parks and Recs Department received a grant from the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs. Through this grant, they have been working to spruce up Rivers Park. Morrissette said that the Chicopee Community Garden Committee was approached to help with this by starting a second garden there.
“The second garden is underway and we can’t wait to have the ribbon cutting and put the sign in that was donated by Sunshine Village and get things going there,” she said.
The opening date of the Rivers Park garden is still to be determined.
Morrissette said that she is most excited about the opportunity to give more residents access to green-space and fresh food at the new garden.
“I’m so excited that we’re going to have gardens in two completely different areas of Chicopee, basically on two ends of the city. That way we’re making it a bit easier for folks who live on this side to have access,” she said.
Those interested in staying up to date on the expansion and learning more about the Chicopee Community Garden are encouraged to visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ChicopeeCommunityGarden.