A welcome fire is lit on the damp ground out front, but inside the greenhouse is a warmth that envelops everybody. We are here today at Yale First Nation, sitting between rows of green leaves and sweet tomatoes to join community members in sharing a meal.
As members of FNHA's Fraser Salish regional team, we received an invitation to the “Yale First Nation Greenhouse Gathering" to celebrate the community, partnerships and growth being nurtured as part of the vision of the future for the community.
Welcome boxes nearby are filled with greenhouse-grown tomatoes, basil and pasta along with a recipe card. Also in the boxes are pickles and a salve made with yarrow and devils club, good for arthritis. Sarah Belair-Bergman, the Food Sovereignty Greenhouse Coordinator, shares that the boxes are meant to inspire community members in their kitchens, and also to inspire a sense of pride and ownership.
As for the greenhouse, it is inspiring. Kept at 21 degrees, it has produced cucumbers, radishes, tomatoes, beets and carrots. It features air filters, a propane heater and waist-high boxes for planting.
The harvests are distributed and shared in a community fridge. Food above and beyond the needs of the community has been sold to School District 78. Michelle Vandepol, the School District's food coordinator, shares that this year, 68 pounds of cucumbers made their way to schools. Secretaries kept bowls of vegetables on their desks where children could grab something to round out their lunches.
Local kids are excited and proud to participate in choosing what to grow and helping out in the greenhouse. Janice Hope, a community member who works in the greenhouse, loves gardening with the children when they visit. “It's so grounding," she says, “I don't even feel like I'm working."
Another community member, Perry Hope, who lit the welcome fire, shares that everything he does is with intention and purpose. Working in the greenhouse, Perry says he's learned so much more than just growing plants. At first, he says the task seemed simple. Over time, however, he noticed that if he was not careful, he could break the tiny branches on the plants. He says that when that happened, he felt a connection.
Perry began to write in a journal to remind himself not only of what needs doing, but also his thoughts and experiences. He describes the quiet moments of resting and listening to what is going on inside himself. Perry says that to watch the plants grow, he can also watch himself grow. He also says that his life journey brought him to mindfulness and now he practices it even in his work in gardening.
Down the road, a community garden is at rest at the end of the growing season. Each spring, there is a community meeting where the 10 garden beds provide opportunity for 10 families. Funding comes from various sources, including the FNHA, Fraser Health Authority and United Way. A bus takes people to the garden centre and they pick out what they would like to grow for the season. Elder Cathy Hope tried parsley this year and even in the cool October air it's flourishing. She is going to dry the leaves to add to soups.
Perry shares that the garden, and the greenhouse, are now a hub for the community and a meeting place. Growing nourishes relationships, bodies and minds, and inspires others. Sarah looks ahead to find more funding that would keep the greenhouse growing all year, but for now the heating is too expensive. For the time being the greenhouse and garden will rest during the coldest winter months in preparation for the next growing season.
You can follow Yale First Nations' greenhouse and garden adventures on Instagram under @yalefoodsovereignty.
