SASKATOON — At the corner of 115th Street East and Forest Drive, across from École Forest Grove, sits a small community garden and food box where anyone can help themselves to fresh produce and other food items. The front yard garden is how Rob and Joanne Dudiak give back to their community, especially to those most in need.
The couple told SaskToday they have been doing this since 2019, starting with the food box before planting seasonal produce such as raspberries, black currants, grapes, apples, rhubarb, josta berries, gooseberries, strawberries, Saskatoon berries, thyme, dill, peas, cucumbers, lettuce, carrots and onions.
“Rob has been able to plant more fruits in the front yard, which makes him happy,” said Joanne, adding they grow potatoes and pumpkins on their family farm, which her mother tends every summer, and give them away each fall. They also accept donations for a free spring “garage sale,” where people can pick up items, and encourage visitors to bring non-perishable food.
Rob said the idea came while he was a member of École Forest Grove’s School Community Council, where their two children attended elementary school. He learned at a meeting that many in the neighbourhood struggled with food security.
“There was a gap in support for kids who were not yet in school and during school breaks. There was an attempt to place a food box and garden on school property that didn’t get approved. So, we decided to try to help with the community pantry, where food items are available for the whole year,” he said.
Their children and other students help in the garden, while the school community donates non-perishable food for Christmas hampers. For several years, they distributed 40 hampers annually. A local religious organization also donated non-perishables, and another group provided trays of bread weekly for a few years.
Joanne said, “The winter makes it easier in some ways because frozen foods are not a problem. Summer is better for garden-fresh foods.”
Others have contributed as well. The Better Good, an independently owned shop on Broadway, donated $1,500 for landscaping work by The Common Ground, which transformed the lawn into a garden. Co-op donated 300 pounds of potato seeds, which yielded 1,000 pounds for the food box, and gift cards for Christmas hampers.
“The Hollandia [soccer club where one of their kids used to play] boys’ soccer team donated their time to help work on the garden. Joanne’s family has donated money for groceries for the food box, which was a gift from her aunt after having it custom-built, and lots of people we don’t know drop off food items all the time,” Rob said.
While some assume people take advantage of their generosity, Rob said most community feedback has been positive, with residents leaving thank-you cards or stopping to chat when they see them in the garden.
“To us, it only matters that you feel you want some food; whether you can afford to buy food or not doesn’t matter. The garden has taken many years for people to feel comfortable coming into the yard, as it’s out of the usual, but now we have people readily coming into the garden, which is great to see,” Rob said.
Despite challenges — including wind, rain, snow damage, vandalism and garbage or perishable food being dumped — the couple plans to continue as long as they can.
“There’s even a person who intimidated other people not to take food from it. Plants were taken from the garden, including one planter pot of strawberries and herbs,” said Joanne.
Rob added, “People leave milk, raw meat and other perishable food items in the summer, and partially open containers of food. A fair amount of cleaning and monitoring is needed.”
