PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society is creating a new center that promotes gardening and food security, which is expected to open this spring in Montgomery County.
PHS operates five Green Resource Centers in the region, mainly in Philadelphia. The latest one is opening at Farm Park, between Norristown and East Norriton.
"Around November/December, we've been slowly building out the site, which will include a 30-by-60-foot greenhouse," described Justin Trezza, director of the Community Gardens Program, and "a hardening-off house, where the seedlings will be placed once they've gone through their initial growth.
"We have a few other components," he continued, "including walk-in coolers, so one can store the harvest in there for a longer period of time. Usually, there's raised beds, some have solar panels, it varies from site to site, but this one will be more encompassing and include a few more gadgets and things."
The center is backed by a $1 million grant from Montgomery County. The county received $145 million from the federal CARES Act, and it allocated $1 million to combat food insecurity through the Food Security Assistance and Workforce Development Program.
PHS aims to establish a working 2-acre farm that will grow seedlings, distribute them to the community, and help to address food insecurity, which has become critically important during the coronavirus pandemic.
"As a result of the economic impacts of COVID-19, it is estimated that over 100,000 Montgomery County residents are experiencing difficulty accessing nutritious food for themselves and their families," Montgomery County Commissioner Dr. Val Arkoosh said in a statement. "This new (PHS) program will increase food sovereignty for participants, their families, and their communities while also providing tools for job training and self-reliance for the future."
The Green Resource Center at Farm Park will also feature a pavilion for public programming, pollinator gardens, community garden beds and workforce development opportunities.
"Our longer-term goal is to … use apprentices working on the farm — not this growing season, but maybe next growing season — to have up to five apprentices, ideally from Norristown High School and other local high schools," Trezza added.
PHS is working with YWCA Tri-County Area on workforce development.
"We see this as a good workforce development opportunity, especially when it comes to learning about ecology, learning about plants, and people interested in social justice and the food justice movement," he said.
"The hope is that this summer, we're gonna be working with them, some of the harvest being grown in the field is going to be donated back to YWCA's Dignity Kitchen, and engaging some of their participants on the farm to learn about how to grow your own food."
