Contributed photo
Located at the intersection of Division Street and Seymour Avenue, the 2,000 square foot Griffin Hospital Community Garden is part of the Valley United Way’s Grow Your Own initiative, which helps bring fresh produce to residents who need assistance getting healthy food.
The garden has 12 raised beds to grow a variety of vegetables and herbs, including broccoli, peppers, tomatoes, lettuce, chard, collards, onions, eggplant, thyme, basil and parsley.
The garden has 12 raised beds to grow a variety of vegetables and herbs, including broccoli, peppers, tomatoes, lettuce, chard, collards, onions, eggplant, thyme, basil and parsley.
Griffin sponsored the construction of the garden, but the project was a community effort with donations of funds, supplies and labor from Haynes Group, RD Scinto, Nicolock Paving Stones, The American Heart Association, Ion Bank, and Aetna.
Valley United Way volunteers filled the beds and will tend to the plants.
Valley United Way volunteers filled the beds and will tend to the plants.
“Griffin is pleased to join the United Way in the Grow Your Own effort,” said Griffin Hospital President and CEO Patrick Charmel. “Griffin believes that hospitals should lead the transformation of the U.S. health care delivery system by shifting the industry’s focus away from being a reactive sick care provider to being a population health manager that addresses the underlying causes of disease and acute episodes resulting from poorly managed chronic illness.
"By assisting community residents to add more fruits and vegetables to their diet and improve their nutrition, we can help prevent or control many chronic diseases in both children and adults putting them on a path to better health and well-being.”
"By assisting community residents to add more fruits and vegetables to their diet and improve their nutrition, we can help prevent or control many chronic diseases in both children and adults putting them on a path to better health and well-being.”
This is the 10th Community Garden in the United Way’s Grow Your Own Program.
With gardens in Derby, Ansonia, Seymour and Oxford, “Grow Your Own” is designed to engage Valley neighborhood residents to actively participate in selecting, planting, maintaining, harvesting, and preserving fresh, nutritious produce. The ultimate goal of this is to help “food insecure” residents obtain healthy fruits and vegetables to supplement what they are currently getting from local food pantries – as well as to encourage neighborhood residents to start their own gardens and improve their eating habits, helping alleviate one of the biggest social obstacles to good health.
With gardens in Derby, Ansonia, Seymour and Oxford, “Grow Your Own” is designed to engage Valley neighborhood residents to actively participate in selecting, planting, maintaining, harvesting, and preserving fresh, nutritious produce. The ultimate goal of this is to help “food insecure” residents obtain healthy fruits and vegetables to supplement what they are currently getting from local food pantries – as well as to encourage neighborhood residents to start their own gardens and improve their eating habits, helping alleviate one of the biggest social obstacles to good health.
In addition to addressing the nutritional needs of the community, the garden features a welcoming patio design with chairs and benches for residents to enjoy the peaceful outdoor atmosphere and to participate in nutrition and healthy lifestyle educational programs that will be held in the garden.
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| Contributed photo |
This is a press release from Griffin Hospital.
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