NORTH BAY -- A new community garden in Powassan is opening up in the midst of this current pandemic, just after the May long weekend.

The idea began with a local community organizing hub called 250 Clark and was built with the help of a $7,000 grant and several other local organizations.

"Some of the boxes have already been spoken for and been given for free," said 250 Clark events coordinator Kathie Hogan. "The food bank gets a community bed. The Community Living gets a bed for free. The Powassan Agricultural Society gets a bed for free."

Inspired by the idea, the owner of a nearby timber store donated the lumber used to make the garden boxes.

The garden is being named after Shelley Kingsbury's grandfather, Fred Gomoll, who was an avid gardener after he retired.

"I can remember as a kid, going to pick strawberries and raspberries out of his garden. And every fall, we always were like' is it time to pick the corn yet?' And we'd have big corn roasts out of our cottage," said Kingsbury.

IT TAKES A VILLAGE

"It's been a community project with lots of businesses kicking in," said Powassan Mayor Peter McIsaac. "They see the value of a community garden and 2020 is really showing the need for this."

The local Home Hardware store is in the process of building a neighbouring tool shed.

"We've got it underway," said Powassan Home Hardware's Tom Morrow. "It'll be about a week to a week and a half."

The plan is for the agricultural society to use its plot for gardening sessions starting next year and organizers say some plots are still up for grabs.

"Call the office and we'll put your name on the list and we'll let you know and you can come and garden starting just after the long weekend," said Hogan.

Hogan expects a lot of people to take advantage of the available plots as she says many prefer to have fresh, home-grown fruits and vegetables as part of their meal planning.