CAYUGA, Ind. (July 1, 2021) – The Eugene Station Community Garden (ESCG) welcomed Vermillion County community members to begin planting vegetables and herbs on May 1, 2021 with a ribbon cutting ceremony and fun-filled afternoon for all. ESCG, a partnership between Connections IN Health, Purdue Extension Vermillion County, Vermillion County Community Foundation, Cayuga Christian Church, Eugene Township and several local businesses and volunteers, has been in the works for the past year.
“The mission of Eugene Station Community Garden is to cultivate personal and community growth through health, education and hope,” said ESCG Garden Coordinator Amber Smith. “The garden is up and running but there are still plenty of opportunities for partnerships through ‘Work Days’ for employees or team members, helping to promote the garden or donating supplies, and raffle items for the garden.”
“I am thrilled that we could take part in the process and watch the garden come to life,” said Connections IN Health Cardiovascular and Diabetes Coalition of Indiana Lead, Aliya Amin. “Vermillion County is an inspiration and a testament to what we can accomplish together. Empowering a community to make healthy choices that mitigate chronic disease, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and stroke, can be fun and exciting.”
In addition to providing a portion of funding for the garden, Connections IN Health has also provided funding for the Dining with Diabetes and Be Heart Smart cooking classes with Purdue Extension Vermillion County. “We wanted to take gardening one step further by teaching people how to cook their produce in healthy and flavorful ways,” said Amin.
To date, 15 plots have been claimed and 7 plots are being used for shared gardening, which will provide produce for free and reduced costs to the community at large. Each 15×18 plot can be rented for $20 and includes a selection of seeds and starter plants, access to community gardening tools, gardening classes, and more. For more information on the garden and partnership opportunities, please contact Aliya Amin.
