Dianne Ace
At the November meeting, members of Voices United learned about Shiloh Garden from Julie Wright, its executive director. Shiloh Garden, a community garden in Denton, was founded in 2011 by Gene Gumfory to provide food for hungry people in Denton County.
At 14-1/2 acres, it is the largest community garden in the United States. All the work is done by volunteers. Since its first harvest, these volunteers have grown and distributed over 340,000 pounds of fruits and vegetables. Every year the amount of food that is grown increases. In 2023 the projected harvest is 70,000 pounds, with a future goal of 100,000 pounds. There are also chickens and a resident peacock at the garden.
Food grown in the garden is sold or donated to various food pantries and food kitchens in Denton County. According to Serve Denton, 21% of people in Denton County experience food insecurity.
Friends of Shiloh Garden, which operates the garden, is a nonprofit organization and depends on financial support from the community to pay for its water, fuel, and seed, in addition to other needs as they arise.
This year additional grow tunnels, used like greenhouses, were added to the garden.
In 2024 the garden will begin its “24 in 24” program. They will be looking for 24 individuals to commit to donating $100 a month, which has the potential to feed 6,000 people. In the future the group hopes to build a support building that can hold cooking and gardening classes.
Shiloh Garden provides an important service to the community. The produce provided by the garden allows the local agencies to provide fresh produce to their recipients while reducing their costs. Learn more about them at www.shilohfield.com.
Voices United is a non-partisan group of Robson Ranch women who share progressive values, perform community outreach, provide civic awareness and social contact for members, and have a good time. We are a 501(c)(3) group, and annual dues are $20.
For more information, visit us at www.voicesunitedrr.org.