Long Beach Organic (LBO) is hosting a volunteer event on Saturday, Feb. 26 to begin renovations that will make the Zaferia Junction Community Garden more accessible for people of all abilities.
The event is part of a larger renovation project, Garden Director Joe Corso said. Saturday’s kick-off will focus on the picnic and educational area.
According to Corso, the goal is to connect the two areas with a new multi-sensory, interactive and therapeutic garden—which volunteers (ages 6 and over) will help plant on Saturday. The plants include culinary herbs, California natives and pollinator-friendly plants.
The renovated garden area will include a wide granite pathway—coming at a later date—where everyone will be able to experience the scents and colors of the space, Corso said. He expects the project to be done by the end of the year.
The renovation was inspired by Karl Snider, a Long Beach Organic board member who uses a wheelchair, Corso noted.
Currently, the community garden doesn’t have hard surfaces, making it difficult for those who use a wheelchair or walker to access, which often made the board member feel left out, Corso said.
“What [Snider] said that stuck with me is [that] he wants this to be exciting for everybody, not just someone [who uses] a wheelchair,” Corso said.
According to LBO’s website, an accessible tool shed with adaptive equipment and an accessible porta-potty is also included in the vision for the area.
Saturday’s event is funded by a $5,000 grant from the National Philanthropy Day Fund, which is managed by the Long Beach Community Foundation—also participating in the event.
The garden is expecting over 30 volunteers at the event, Corso said, who aside from planting and weeding will stain lumber that will be used for a trellis. Children volunteering will make signage for the garden.
Around noon, volunteers will be served woodfire pizza and salad from the garden, Corso said.
It is requested that volunteers RSVP at info@longbeachorganic.org and bring closed-toe shoes and sun protection. Volunteers are also encouraged to bring extra shovels and garden tools if possible.
The next phases of the project include raising four ground-level beds that will be wheel-chair accessible and leveling the ground to lay down decomposed granite for the walkway.
The garden, which opened in 2012, is the largest in the LBO network—spanning over one acre. The Zaferia garden—open only to its members who rent a plot and garden it—currently over 85 households rent a plot.
According to Corso, the garden currently has the longest waiting list in months.
Volunteers will have a chance to see all that the garden has to offer when they receive a tour of the space during the renovation event.
“It feels wonderful to have figured out a way to accomplish [this],” Corso said of the renovation’s kick-off. “It’s a small part of the garden, but it has always bothered me that some people can’t come.”
For more information follow Long Beach Organic on Instagram at @longbeachorganic or visit their website www.longbeachorganic.org/
