Unity Gardens in South Bend is marking Earth Day with events and volunteer opportunities Saturday.
Planned activities include a cleanup of the garden and surrounding neighborhood, along with a tour focused on the garden’s history. Unity Gardens Intern and Events Manager Randy Miller says the day starts at 9:00 a.m. with a native seed bomb workshop.
“We take native seeds, flowers, things like that – we mold them into clay. Once the clay dries, you’re able to just kind of chuck it out somewhere. It’ll bust apart. Once it rains, water will help dissolve that into the soil, and you’ve got native flowers growing in that area,” Miller explained.
Meanwhile, a foraging walk will highlight edible plants that are often overlooked as weeds. "It’s really fun," Miller said. "Things like dandelion and purslane and things like that, that people overlook all the time that are actually really healthy for us."
Miller said about 60 people are already signed up to help Saturday through various organizations, but he expects the turnout to be closer to 100, when combined with individual volunteers.
He said Unity Gardens relies heavily on volunteers, in its mission to connect the community to healthy food. That includes seeding, transplanting and harvesting, but also helping with programs like the Kids Summer Garden Club.
Much of the garden’s produce is free for anyone to come and pick, and Miller said there’s also a mini food pantry for those needing additional help. "All they need to do is just walk in and literally help themselves," Miller added. "We will greet them. We will help them. This is a place for everybody, that we want everybody to be welcomed, feel safe and feel included within their community."
Unity Gardens’ main location is at 3701 Prast Boulevard in South Bend. A schedule of Saturday’s events can be found at TheUnityGardens.org.
