How does their garden grow? Fredericton seniors are raising more than plants
CBC
Growing up in the community of Marysville on Fredericton's north side, Corinne Saunders Hersey says gardening was a way of life.
"My grandfather gardened and everybody in Marysville had a garden back then. Everybody provided their own food and gardens were just the stability of the communities," she said.
In more recent years, Saunders Hersey's concern about food security has fuelled a passion to empower others to grow their own food.
"We've seen such a drastic change in availability of food and accessibility and affordability, we know that people actually need to grow food to be able to feed families and feed themselves," she said.
In her role as a sociology professor at St. Thomas University, Saunders Hersey teaches students about food security and environmental sovereignty.
But her lessons don't end there.
Outside the classroom, she helps older Frederictonians learn to grow their own healthy food.
"We shouldn't depend on an industry that can be disrupted so easily, which we saw during COVID." she said.
In 2020, Saunders Hersey started hosting a series of biweekly gardening workshops for seniors at the Salvation Army community and family services site in Fredericton.
When it started, the workshop series had three funding streams, but that ended in 2022.
"Right now, there's no funding," she said. "We're running on a zero fund."
The workshop series starts with talking about seeds and the importance of saving them.
With the help of volunteers, Saunders Hersey brings seeds and planting materials to be used by the seniors.
"We have a professor from NBCC [New Brunswick Community College] who has 40 students who want to come and help," she said.