The 6S Team Pitches in for the YWCA Rooftop Garden

On March 5 and 6th, employees of 6S Marketing took part in the annual United Way’s Day of Caring program. This was a great opportunity for people from our workplace to come together and make a difference in the community.  The United Way is a not for profit organization which engages many projects from volunteering. Our company chose to volunteer for the YWCA Vancouver Rooftop Garden project.

Not many people would know that right in the busy business district of downtown Vancouver lies a garden on the rooftop of the YWCA. This garden produces organic healthy fruits and vegetables for woman and children specifically in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.

In just two days and a total of six hours, we managed to empty out old compost bins, remove worn out bin covering and replace with new metal protective mesh (to keep out those pests!). We then created a new space for the compost bins, and from there refilled the new compost bins. Once that job was completed, we then turned and fertilized the soil in the garden. It is amazing what a few hours of volunteering can do – and how it can help!

YWCA Vancouver’s Rooftop Garden project began in the summer of 2006. Staff at the YWCA decided to experiment with growing produce on the roof rather than just plants. This  project proved  successful and gradually became a beautiful community rooftop garden that produced over 150 kilograms of produce in its first summer. The following year, the YWCA harvested more than 450 kilograms of food. This year it is expected to grow and harvest even more.

So where does this food go? After the fruits and vegetables have been harvested, they are then taken to Vancouver’s Crabtree Corner (a family resource centre on the Downtown Eastside) where they’re used in the community kitchen. Crabtree Corner receives donations of canned goods and other non-perishable items, but it’s not often that this community kitchen receives fresh, organic produce. The rooftop garden’s produce provides nutritious, organic meals to women and children who may not have these opportunities otherwise.

We volunteered two afternoons at the YWCA’s rooftop garden and much was accomplished. The produce that is harvested from this garden goes to the community.  However, gardens need maintenance, and this one relies entirely on a group of volunteers. Ted Cathcart, YWCA’s facilities manager and rooftop garden’s spearhead coordinates and oversees this project. He taught us much on sustainability and community work.  He is passionate about this project and shows it. From transporting foods locally, recycling of materials, composting, receiving compost donations from a downtown office, etc. all make a difference in reducing our ‘ecological footprint’. If one garden can be a model of sustainability and prove to be successful, why not more? Find out more information on the program at the YWCA website.

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