The Lewisburg Community Garden is made possible by the generosity, time, and resources of countless members, volunteers, and community stakeholders. It is also made possible by a deep collaboration between the Borough of Lewisburg and Bucknell University- the Borough provides land and mowing and Bucknell provides staffing.
History
In the summer of 2011, Bucknell University’s previous Director of Civic Engagement Janice Butler and Jewish Chaplain Rabbi Serena Fujita applied to become a part of the President’s Interfaith Community Service Initiative. Through this initiative, Janice and Rabbi Serena contemplated a community service project that would meaningfully bring together students, staff, faculty, and community members. Ultimately, focus was placed on combating food insecurity in the region, and the idea of cultivating a community garden started gaining traction.
Soon after the idea for a community garden developed, shovels broke ground. The Lewisburg Community Garden was officially established in 2012 as a joint venture between Bucknell University’s Office of Civic Engagement and the Lewisburg Borough. The Lewisburg Borough generously provides the land on which the Community Garden sits, while a combination of Bucknell staff, AmeriCorps members, student farmers, and volunteers steward and maintain the garden itself. The Lewisburg Community Garden is situated on the land of the Susquehannock, Lenape, and Haudenosaunee peoples. It is the regenerative practices and environmental stewardship of these peoples that humble us as gardeners and inspire the way we cultivate the land today.
What we do:
The mission of the Lewisburg Community Garden is to address food insecurity in our region by providing access to suitable growing space and by cultivating produce for donation to local food security programs. We strive to provide educational support to assist individuals, families, and groups wishing to grow their own food in a sustainable manner, and to encourage everyone to serve as environmental stewards.
The Garden is located at the intersection of North Water Street and St. Anthony Street. Its layout is unique in that the inside is divided into two halves, each with separate functions. The first half, closest to North Water Street, consists of individual garden plots which are rented seasonally by community members for personal use, maintenance, and cultivation. (Learn more about becoming a member). While the Garden generally rents to approximately 40 households each season, recent years have seen an increase to nearly 50 households. The second half of the Garden is exclusively cultivated for produce donation. With the help of Bucknell students and community volunteers, approximately 2,000lbs of produce is donated to local food pantries and hot meal programs each year — all from just half an acre of land! (Learn more about food justice. Learn more about volunteering
Our Garden is many things to many people, and to reflect the multiple ways this shared resource can contribute to our community, the land of the garden. We cherish this multipurpose space which helps bring us all closer to the land, closer to each other, and closer to a world where no one goes hungry. Above all, the Garden serves as a welcoming space for people of all ages and backgrounds to nestle into a nourishing and encouraging community – one that seeks to educate and inspire a movement of growers interested in sustainable agriculture and food justice.
Some people we’re grateful for:
List of people, organizations, and businesses we’d like to thank