(May 19, 2023) -- ETSU Health’s Johnson City Community Health Center is bringing back its community garden this weekend.
Anyone, whether you have a green thumb or not, is encouraged to volunteer to maintain the garden and enjoy the fruits (or vegetables) of their labor. Volunteer days will be held the third Saturday of every month from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., beginning this Saturday, May 20.
People are also welcome to come outside of the designated volunteer days to harvest and tend to the garden. Volunteer days will continue throughout the spring and summer until fall.
“Our mission is to serve our community with quality healthcare,” said Vanessa Smith, practice administrator at the Johnson City Community Health Center. “General health is provided not only by way of medicine and diagnostic testing, but also by providing resources to other needs that may be creating barriers in being able to sustain good health.”
“The garden provides an avenue for some patients to have access to fresh, healthy and free produce,” Smith continued. “This is just one more way we can serve our community and try to meet their needs as best as possible.”
While the Johnson City Community Health Center had a small garden tended to by employees last year, it has been a couple of years since they had a true community garden. They were able to bring back the garden thanks to the generosity of the community.
“We have had such great support from local agencies,” said Smith. “Lowes donated many plants to kick start our garden; Volunteer ETSU came out and cleared most of the garden beds to where they were ready to go for us; and Appalachian RC&D contributing funding towards our community grant which in turn provided us with a new garden shed to store supplies.”
“They also provided new garden gloves, soil and fertilizer, tomato cages, new hoses and many other tools needed to sustain a garden,” Smith said. “These agencies really put us in a great place to be successful with our garden this year.”
The Johnson City Community Health Center, one of ETSU Health’s nurse-managed clinics, is located at 2151 Century Lane, Johnson City.