At Canterbury Chapel, we believe one of the best opportunities to minister with and to each other, and to become a part of a community, is to share the table together. We began that mission in 2010 and are continuing it in 2011 with initiatives and projects celebrating the local food movement in Tuscaloosa. With help from local farmers, organizations, passionate students & creative parishoners, we are thrilled to be starting a whole new way of
growing together here at Canterbury.
Growing Together: The Canterbury Community Garden Internship
Check out Erica's 2010 blog at http://canterburychapelgarden.blogspot.com/ and keep a lookout for Lindsay's 2011 blog coming soon!
Started in 2010, the Canterbury Community Garden strives to encourage the use of deliberative and democratic decision-making practices among parishioners and community members working to address concerns of food security. Students and parishioners cultivate plants together to supplement our Tuesday morning ministry, Deacon's Deli (embedded link?), as well as educating all who are willing on gardening and healthy eating. No prior experience is needed to serve in the garden or help prepare produce for our outreach programs. If you are interested in volunteering with this holistic educational and spiritual process of a fully rounded food system - from seed to plate - or have tools, seeds and equipment to donate, please contact Lindsay Turner at lkturn@gmail.com
For the third year running, Canterbury Chapel is happy to host the Homegrown Alabama Farmer's Market, put together by the HOmegrown Alabama Student Organization at the University of Alabama. Every Thursday afternoon from May to October, from 3-6:00 PM, our front lawn is home to fresh veggies, juicy peaches, home-made bread and snacks, fresh cut flowers, and so much more! There is live music and this year will be food demonstrations and even some gardening and farming tips! We invite everyone to sit with us and share a meal together in the afternoon sun, and have tables available tos it and talk and share with each other. We hope you will come and join us this Thursday!
Check them out at www.homegrownalabama.org, or find them on Facebook and http://twitter.com/homegrownAL
Photo: Andrea Mabry
Providing our community with access & awareness to fresh, local foods
While we all start to enjoy this plentiful harvesting season, we are also passionate to share it with our neighbors in need. Every Tuesday morning, Canterbury provides an open food pantry to families and individuals in need in the community. However, with today's limited access and high cost of fresh, organic produce, our provisions are often limited and rarely have produce. This summer, one of our new projects is to provide vouchers to interested families in need, so that they can come to the Farmer's Market every Thursday and have the opportunity and access to fresh, nutritious food for their families. We will also be hosting food and cooking demonstrations, as well as gardening tips and farming ideas, to help everyone come together to share knowledge and be able to prepare healthy meals for one another. If you are interested in learning about or helping with this endeavor, please contact Genevieve at canterburychapel@gmail.com. Also check out "Eating Local" at www.homegrownalabama.org/eatinglocal.html, as well as the "Eating Alabama" project, where individuals eat all-local, and raise awareness on local food issues in our community.
Photo: Andrea Mabry