The Urban Ministry Center Community Garden is unusual because the gardeners are homeless. Other than that, we are like many urban community gardens.  We grow food, plus we beautify the landscape with flowers, trees and native/well-adapted plants that fit well in our local ecology. As with any community garden, community comes first. Meaning that our harvests of stories, good will and shared experiences are every bit as important and nourishing as our tomatoes, okra, broccoli and greens. And we provide a welcoming place for people who spend their lives being chased away or ignored, and a unabashed home for improvised urban art. We feed the soil with compost and organic soil amendments, and manage our garden as an ecosystem, without using dangerous pesticides.

Volunteer opportunities:  Work with neighbors in our organic food garden, and environmentally-friendly landscape and grounds — we are not big fans of chemical dependency, and that goes for our garden and landscape as well. Emphasis on outdoor, hands-on work. You have many options: Large groups, often on Saturday mornings, help accomplish big tasks and clean-up. Weekly crews can help with routine maintenance, following ecological guidelines — it is a good way to learn about the new "green" landscaping. Individuals and small groups can become "regulars" who come on a weekly or monthly basis to work with neighbors in the garden, or simply come to lend a hand when they can. Scout projects are possible, along with community service opportunities for CPCC and CMS horticulture students, Master Gardener and Master Composter volunteers, and service learning programs.For artists, opportunities abound for imaginative landscape art using found objects and urban materials, and involving ArtWorks artists.

Main season:  March through November, with the biggest needs in mid-April, mid/late summer, and late fall. Saturday mornings by previous arrangement with volunteer coordinators; or by arrangement on other days of the week.

Read our garden blog to keep up with the green side of the Center's ministry.   Contact  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with your comments and questions.  Please also check in with our Volunteer Coordinators so they can help arrange a tour and speaker during your group's first garden visit.   And by all means, check out our Wish List: