Removing the Barriers from Access to Fresh, Locally Grown Food

Volunteering plays a pivotal role in creating a sense of community and offers an opportunity to learn new skills. The Plymouth Collaborative Garden, located at Whole Village Family Resource Center, is a great example of how bringing together individuals for a common purpose can make a community a better place to live and work.

The garden serves as a source of fresh fruits and vegetables and a learning experience for those interested in gardening. In 2022, it grew over 624 pounds of produce. This includes tomatoes, cabbage, garlic, peas, onions, zucchinis, squash, green beans, turnips, beets, strawberries, and more. Every pound is distributed out into the community to ensure everyone, no matter what their income, has access to healthy foods.

Initiatives like the Collaborative Garden would not be sustainable without dedicated volunteers. For over 16 years, Bob Richer has volunteered his time as a Master Gardener for the Collaborative Garden, teaching others about the art of gardening, and ensuring the garden thrives to grow healthy fruits and vegetables for the community.

Before Richer and his wife retired and settled in New Hampshire in 2006, he spent 37 years in the military and as a military civilian. Throughout this time, he earned his Doctorate in Education from George Washington University and worked as a teacher in the Army. In 2008 he took his passion for teaching and hobby for gardening to become a Master Gardener.

As a Master Gardener, Richer spends over 100 hours a year working to ensure the garden is sustainable. This includes tending to the garden, applying for grants, spending those funds appropriately on supplies, and coordinating volunteers.

“I volunteer throughout the summer to make sure it produces food for the members of our community,” says Richer. “I really want to give back to the community because the community has supported me.”

Although Richer keeps the operations of the garden organized and running smoothly, his main goal as Master Gardener is to educate the community about gardening. He works with an average of 10 volunteers per year and everyone has their own role in the garden. Some help to prep the garden before and at the start of the season, some tend to the garden on a regular basis and pick ripe produce, while others help lay the garden to bed for the off season.

"This effort could not happen without our dedicated volunteers," says Richer.

Lisa Ford, the Health & Well-Being and Nutrition Connections Teacher at UNH extension and has an office at Whole Village, has volunteered for the Collaborative Garden since Richer first started his Master Gardener’s program. Since then, Ford and her husband, Guy, have volunteered each year helping to manage the garden and distribute the fresh produce out into the community.

“The Collaborative Garden is a great example of how it takes a village to make something happen,” says Ford. “It’s a huge community effort.”

Ford partners with the programs and supports within Whole Village, such as their Parent Education Classes, Play Group, Family Support Specialists’, and Family Fun Nights, to get the produce into the hands of those that need it most. For those that can’t make it weekly to Whole Village, often due to lack of transportation, Ford will travel within the Greater Plymouth area to deliver the food.

Ford also uses the produce for her Nutrition classes. She educates others on the nutritional benefits of the food they are cooking, and will send the members of her class home with the vegetable and recipes to try at home. Everything that is grown in the garden is consumed for nutritional and educational benefits. 

The Collaborative Garden is an invaluable resource for everyone in the Greater Plymouth community. Thanks to devoted volunteers, generous donors, and community partners, the garden continues to flourish and provide access to fresh, healthy food for everyone.