Communal Clarity: Puerto Rico

Hello Alamo!

I’m sure you’ve noticed that there is a bit of a confusing difference between the three community gardens in Alamogordo if you’re not already in the know. Much like me. For shame, I look up info all the time for this blog, but I’ve never actually taken the time to learn what that difference was and what it meant.

There are 2 community gardens that are watered 1-2 times a week by volunteers using city water. Everything grown at these gardens are free to be harvested by the public, but occasionally a With Many Hands volunteer will put signage out for a crop that looks ripe but isn’t quite done cooking yet.

The free gardens are located across the street from the Dudley Community Center at 523 Maryland Ave., and in the alleyway behind the 900 block of New York Ave.

Our third “garden,” actually a farm and co-op, is located behind Grace Methodist church. The land has been used for community plots in the past as well, and is located at 1021 E. 16th St. The community *can* harvest from the Puerto Rico farm, but only if they’ve paid a $10 yearly fee to help financially support this endeavor.

Farm co-ops allow farmers to pool their resources, like equipment, skill-sharing, and as a collective, they can sometimes get discounts on things like seeds and fertilizer. The idea is that if several farmers work the land together and share responsibility for the labor, the food produced will be more diverse and sustainable. This particular co-op acts as a space for experienced farmers to grow produce for either personal use, the farmer’s market, or donations to Grace Methodist’s food pantry. I was also informed that farmers working together to grow produce together made the application process way less complicated.

The current grant awarded to the Puerto Rico farm and co-op is called the Christus Community Impact Fund. According to their website, the 3 markers of success they expect from grantees are accountability (quarterly reporting of performance measures, expenditures, progress, and impact statements), capacity (engaging in the CCIF Community Learning Collaborative), and interconnectivity (exploring the development of a process to share information). *

Part of the mission with this grant money is specifically to offer fresh produce for the farmer’s market so Otero County benefits recipients can utilize SNAP, WIC, Double Up Food Bucks, and the Senior Nutrition Program. As the manager of the Alamogordo Farmers’ Market at Washington Park, Courtney McCary submits reports based on how many tokens each vendor receives, how much money is distributed to farmers from those tokens, as well as the overall sales from the market.

Right now, there are 3, soon-to-be 4 members using the raised beds as part of the co-op: SquyresStudio Microfarm (Courtney and James), Karen DeGuire, Desiree Telab, and a homeschool student interested in learning about horticulture. As of now, until there’s more funding, McCary only feels comfortable requiring her and her husband’s operation to weigh the amount of produce they take to market every week. Though Telab and Deguire do produce for the market as well, members managing their own plots are free to use the food they produce as they wish for the time being.

If you are interested in managing your own plot, With Many Hands can provide you with soil, mulch, seeds, water, and the basics on how to sow and tend your garden beds. If you have any other questions, please go to one of the open volunteer workdays every Monday from 9:30-11:30am at Puerto Rico farm. They’d be very glad to help you!

This grant for Puerto Rico is tied quite closely to the farmer’s market and their ability to provide fresh fruits and vegetables to our neighbors who just need a little bit of a helping hand.

I believe so deeply in this work, that’s why I can never stray too far from the topic of the community gardens and With Many Hands. Now that I know so much more about the grant and how it works to keep this amazing resource accessible to our community, I’m really going to try to make it out to volunteer on Mondays when my disability permits, and I hope you do too.

Salud!

*With Many Hands has already been awarded the same grant for next fiscal year. Guess what I get to blog about again next summer?