The McGill Center, Antioch, The Future Schoo and The Arkansas Climate League Invite You!
Picnic in the Park
Sunday, April 7, 5-7p
Come to the Garden! Meet Neighbors and New Friends!
Enjoy free burgers and other picnic food!
1100 Block of 7th & 8th between K and L Streets
McGill Center Dinner
Monday, April 15, 5:30p-7:30p
Come continue the garden conversation! Enjoy a free dinner!
Get helpful information from local community agencies!
521 North 6th Street, Fort Smith
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Future School Students Restoring Antioch Community Garden
(Fort Smith, Arkansas) Future School of Fort Smith is pleased to announce that their sophomores have taken on the task of restoring the former Antioch Community Garden with assistance from the Sebastian County Conservation Society.
Abandoned since the Pandemic, restoring the space to a productive garden is proving to be quite the undertaking. Mary Cooper, Future School Art teacher and sophomore advisor, has partnered with Ebony Tyson, Future School Volunteer Coordinator to take the lead on the project.
“The goal of the garden is to provide nutritious and free food to the community while educating our youth about how to grow their own food,” Cooper said, speaking on their goals and vision for the project. “In these days of inflation, knowing how to grow your own food could literally help keep a roof over your head. However, it is a daunting task.”
To date, students have focused on damage control and clean-up. Despite only being able to go out on Wednesdays as weather permits, a lot has been accomplished. Weeds have been pulled, debris has been cleared, 25 tomato cages have been cleaned out and roughly 10 4×4 compost bins have been emptied of overgrowth and trees.
Temporarily tabled due to cold temperatures, Future School sophomores are eager to return to the project when warmer weather returns. Aside from words of encouragement from the community, students are in need of resources to continue the task of restoring the space to a functioning and productive garden. Suggested donations are compost leaves, lumber, hand tools and power tools. Physical support through volunteers is also encouraged and appreciated.
Although the garden has a ways to go before it’s operational, Antioch looks forward to watching it progress. “At Antioch, we are thrilled to have the youth being educated in being self-sufficient in growing food,” said Isaac Salazar, Executive Director for Antioch. “The students at Future School have done incredible work in preparing the garden for planting. We can’t wait to see the fruits of their hard work.”
Donation information, words of encouragement and/or questions about lending support can be sent to Ebony Tyson at etyson@fsfuture.org or Mary Cooper at mcooper@fsfuture.org.
