Ben Lemphers

Veggies | Marjorie Bencz, director of the Edmonton Food Bank, plants a row at the Muttart Conservatory

The Edmonton Food Bank’s Plant a Row, Grow a Row program isn’t just helping the less fortunate who receive food hampers; it’s also coming to the aid of kids with emotional and behavioural problems.
Children from the Yellowhead Youth Centre, a residential treatment centre for youth between the ages of 12-17, have been maintaining a community garden at the Muttart Conservatory as a way to give back to the community — an important aspect of their rehabilitation.

“Some kids are suffering from a history of neglect, abandonment, and abuse,” says Tracey Buryska, a program facilitator at the YYC, “and one way they help themselves is by helping others, which gives us that feeling of accomplishment and pride and self-worth.”

For the past 12 years, the Edmonton Food Bank has been asking gardeners to plant an extra row of root vegetables such as carrots, potatoes, or beets and then donate them in order to provide their clients with fresh produce.

Last year, the program received 9,000 kilograms of food.

On May 14, the YYC youth braved the elements to plant the garden that they will be responsible for maintaining until they harvest it later this summer — last year, their garden yielded 88 kilograms of vegetables for the Food Bank.

“People are shocked sometimes when they get fresh product,” says Tamisan Bencz-Knight, a resource developer with the Food Bank, “because in our major food drives, we ask for non-perishable high-protein items.”

Bencz-Knight isn’t just asking for other people’s charity — she’s leading by example. “I just had 10 cubic yards of organic topsoil dropped off in my yard this morning,” she says, “because my husband and I dug up our grass in the back of our yard so we can have a garden. It’s our first year, so it will be an interesting attempt, so we’re going to stick with the basics.”

Bencz-Knight says that it doesn’t matter if you’re a pro or amateur; the therapeutic value of getting your hands dirty is priceless — and according to Buryska, you never know how good it can make you feel until you’ve tried it. “Some kids start doing it,” she says, “because they think there’s nothing else to do, but once they realize they can make a difference in the life of somebody else, that’s when you see the real growth in their own potential and capabilities as they start feeling confident.”

If you’d like to get involved in the program, visit edmontonsfoodbank.com.