4 AUGUST 26, 2021 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Ridgewood Community Garden gives
residents much-needed green space
BY JULIA MORO
EDITORIAL@QNS.COM
@QNS
The Ridgewood Community Garden
allows its volunteers to take in the
hard-to-come-by green space and
escape from the hustle and bustle of New
York City.
The long, narrow lot is wedged between
Metropolitan Avenue and the
athletic fi elds at Grover Cleveland High
School. The volunteer-based group,
founded in 2016, encourages everyone to
come to their open hours, which usually
happen on Sundays.
During that time, anyone can come
to grow, harvest, relax and explore the
foliage.
Charity Henderson Vince, the
group’s treasurer, grew up on a farm
near the Finger Lakes and said this
garden has allowed her to feel like she’s
back home.
“While I enjoy living in the city, I do
miss the ‘growing things’ aspect of living
in the country,” Vince said.
Beyond that, Vince said that the garden
had been a great way to meet people
in the community. Vince, along with her
husband Daniel and the group’s social
media manager, Janet Vukic, have all
become close friends.
“I wanted to meet new people but
also be a part of a project that would
beautify the neighborhood,” Vukic said.
“One of the things I love is planting really
big sunfl owers and just adding that
to the neighborhood.”
Aft er the height of the COVID-19 pandemic
forced everyone to stay in their
homes, Vince said they saw a surge of
volunteers as the city eased restrictions.
Usually, the group has about seven or
eight consistent members, but they saw
almost 30 volunteers contributing to
the garden aft er the lockdown.
“We’re kind of back to what our
numbers were before the lockdown,”
Vince said. “This spring, people were so
eager to get out and do things aft er being
cooped up. But retaining volunteers
is a challenge.”
Vince explained that most people
come for a few weeks and then drift
away, leaving their harvest abandoned.
“It has been hard to keep enough
core members or consistent members
to keep everything going,” Vince said.
“There’s always more work to be done
than we are really able to get done.”
Vukic said that these challenges don’t
take away from the peace she gets from
maintaining the garden.
“We are so grateful to have that space,”
Vukic said. “I can come completely
stressed out and have all these things
on my mind, but once I’m in the garden,
those things kind of fall by the wayside.”
The garden has fruit trees, raspberry
bushes, herbs, fl owers, vegetables and
more. The Ridgewood Community
Garden doesn’t do individual plots, so
all the space is shared.
To learn more about the group, visit
their Facebook page or send an email to
ridgewoodcommunitygarden@gmail.
com.
The lot is located at 54-29 Metropolitan Ave. in Ridgewood.
Photo courtesy of Janet Vukic
Ridgewood Property Owners &
Civic Association is inviting you to a scheduled
Zoom Meeting
Second Thursday September 9th, 2021,
7 pm NYPD 104th Precinct
Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Michael Berish, Community Affairs Officer
A presentation on policing in Ridgewood and
public safety questions and answers.
Pandemic Emergency Rental Assistance Program
For Landlords and Tenants
A Presentation By Angela Mirabile
Executive Director
Greater Ridgewood Restoration Corp.
Over 40 years of service with GRRC,
Angela has helped many landlords and
tenants. The application Is a difficult
process. Angela will walk us through the steps.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87669304565?pwd=
QnBpYnY1WWlGTDg4NXo4UzFlOUhFZz09
Passcode: 912265
by phone +1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
Passcode: 912265
Call Angie Dykshorn if you are having trouble signing on
646-420-7282
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