The Sawyerville Community Garden (Jardin Communautaire de Sawyerville, JCS) is actively looking for replacements, volunteers and employees for the upcoming season. Several members of the board of directors are leaving their positions in order to work on personal projects. They are therefore looking for new blood to ensure the Garden’s future.
The JCS is a non-profit organization founded in 2013, and offers the opportunity for individuals to cultivate their own garden beds. The group uses ecological methods and respects nature. It also attaches great importance to mutual aid and the community, sustainable development, respect for our Earth, and a more local food source.
Towards the end of April and the beginning of May, two paid positions will open up: one as a coordinator for the board of directors, and another as a gardener in the garden itself. The first will deal more with communications and publicity, while the second will offer expertise on site.
“The Sawyerville Community Garden is a vibrant place, full of life. It has been constantly evolving since its founding, thanks in particular to the support of the municipality, the MAPAQ [Ministry of agriculture, fisheries and food] and especially the community,” said Sammuel Tanguay, president of the board of directors. The organization was created by the community for the community.
The Garden also offers training opportunities, such as learning medicinal plants, workshops on mushrooms, or how to save seeds and reuse them.
Several plots are available to members at a cost of $20 for one year. This price includes space, compost, mulch, irrigation, the necessary tools, and advice on how to properly maintain your small plot of land. In exchange, users must keep the premises in order and ensure that the place remains conducive to gardening and mutual aid.
It is also possible to rent certain areas of the garden for private events. It is an enchanting setting and includes access to its ancestral bread-oven to prepare a meal.
The public market will start on July 2 and will continue until September 24 every Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The village market is held every year at the Community Garden, 70 Randboro Road in Sawyerville.
The organizers, in concert with the board of directors, are currently looking for artists, local artisans, a meat producer, and a baker to rent tables during the 2022 edition of the public market.
President of the Board of Directors since 2021 and one of the organizers of the market, Tanguay wants to promote a more local economy, and to be in direct contact with customers and meet their food needs in a healthy and respectful way. “The market is a friendly place, with music from local artists. The market is a warm place where the sharing of knowledge is prioritized. The market is also a place where you can find excellent products grown here, by local people, with love,” he explained.
On April 2, the Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held.
If you wish to volunteer, rent a garden plot, or rent a table at the village market, you can write an email to the following address: jcsawyerville@hotmail.com. You can also go directly to the Community Garden website: https://www.jcs-scg.org/.