Community garden brings homeless Calgarians, children together

A community garden is thriving in an unusual place in Calgary thanks to an unlikely team effort.

In the shadow of the downtown highriseson Third Street southwestconcrete planters have been converted into vegetable plots.

They are tended by residents of the Calgary Drop-In Centre, which is where the produce will go when it is harvested. This is the community garden project's fifth year.

But this summer, the volunteers are getting some help from children in nearby daycares.

"I love it. It's just amazing what we got now, you know. It showed me what was possible, said John Stewart, a volunteer gardener who is staying at the Drop-In Centre.

The gardeners say their plots are hardly ever vandalized.

Maggie Schofield, executive director of the Calgary Downtown Association which is spearheading the project,said having the children and the Drop-In Centre clients join forces has added a new dynamic.

"To see things growing, and seeing kids working and some of the homeless clients working, is a really interesting perspective to a lot of people that work down here, she said.

It's also very nice to see a lot of people coming out from the offices and just doing a bit of weeding or stopping and having a coffee.