"If you've received the latest version of GreenThumb's Program Guide maybe you caught the blurb giving dates for next year's registration. In the details, they mention that instead of 10 open hours, gardens will be required to keep 20 OPEN HOURS in the upcoming year or be in violation of the license agreement.
WHAT DO YOU THINK????? Let's hear some feedback from some gardeners out there!!" - Jon
RESPONSE:
Thanks Jon for posing the question.
Let’s see….increasing food and health care costs, time required struggling to preserve our homes and communities from overbuilding and real estate speculation, longer hours being put in for work that pays the bills, raising children, donating time and money necessary to support our severely under funded public schools, caring for elderly parents and community members…. all while volunteering to maintain and open up spaces that would not exist save for the years of donated labor that created them.
The responsibilities and rewards of stewarding precious urban green space is something volunteer gardeners understand better than anyone. We do this as a labor of love. We want the public in these spaces; we built them for that reason. We hold festivals, gardening classes, children’s story hours, clean up days, etc. to invite people in. We would love more committed volunteers. We work hard to organize them.
And we are grateful for the chance to play this role in our neighborhoods - but we also understand the exploitation of working people in a time of crisis in this economy.
Yes, I would say Parks has an obligation to consult with gardeners on any increase in open hours...
K Webster
M’Finda Kalunga Community Garden
On Aug 25, 2008, at 4:34 PM, jon crow wrote:
