Dec. 28: Over the past seven years, Johnny Edmondson has promoted a network of more than 70 parks throughout Spokane.
Shadle Park Presbyterian Church's director of family ministry leads the Growing Neighborhood program, which aims to create healthy neighborhoods by growing and sharing food.
Like gardening itself, “I look at it as an ongoing experience,” Edmondson said.
Growing Neighborhoods invites residents to grow urban farms on their own land and join a network that includes gardens in schools, libraries and community centers. Volunteers take part in treating spots.
“I want to help my neighbors share food in the most creative and generous way possible,” Edmondson said.
Secondary goals include addressing food insecurity while growing organic and renewable food that is good for people and the planet.
Shirley Lux was involved almost from the beginning. He took part because some gardening experiments had not been successful and he wanted to learn more. The Growing Neighbors program has given her many opportunities to exchange ideas with others and get to know her neighbors. He said it was a great conversation starter.
“There’s something nice and sweet and simple about connecting with people and food,” Lux said.
Edmondson encourages residents to share what they can. Much of this food is sold informally through fences. Some are sold at farmers' markets on a take-what-you-can-pay basis.
Some of the food is distributed at the weekly Tuesday night dinner at the church, where it is supplemented with food from local pantries.
Local chefs often volunteer to prepare these dinners, like Joe Morris, chef at Luna Restaurant in South Hill.
“It’s good to be back,” Morris said.
Cooking is fun because you never know what ingredients you'll get. He assembled it within an hour of its invention.
“I like to see people happy,” she said. “Food is community.”
Usually about 30 people come a week. Some come from the church, but many are just from the area.
Take Monica Eckhart, a law student and only daughter of two. She loves going to family dinners because there are no expectations and everyone is welcome.
“It became an important ritual for me and my children,” he said.
Over dinner, Eckhart formed deep connections with others. He said that he suffers from loneliness.
The community is struggling to create community among different groups, Eckhart said. There are interest groups where everyone has common interests, but it is difficult to gather people because they are neighbors living in the same place.
“The only thing we have in common is that we all need dinner,” Eckhart said. That's what he likes about the program.
After dinner, the church offers a two-hour children's room where parents can relax, socialize or run errands. Eckhart spent his time studying or shopping.
Edmondson gradually began growing food after moving home to northwest Spokane in 2006. In doing so, he became more interested in the local food system and less dependent on mass agriculture. He is particularly interested in growing native plants such as willows and mulberries.
Growing Neighbors regularly hosts workshops with guest speakers on growing or preparing foods like green onions, which spread like a sidewalk weed but are also a nutritious superfood.
“People have expressed gratitude for being able to grow or obtain food in a way they couldn’t before,” Edmondson said.
Enjoys collaborating with other organizations that share overlapping missions. With the help of Washington State University Extension, Growing Neighbors is installing composting systems near gardens.
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, volunteers have helped food banks deliver food to residents with limited mobility.
Growing Neighbors has helped open dozens of free food pantries throughout the city. Small cabinets are placed in front of houses, similar to little free libraries, allowing neighbors to stop by or grab food if needed. The goal is to be within a 15-minute walk of anyone in the city, Edmondson said.
Although Growing Neighbors is technically a church organization, Edmondson sees it as a civic project.
“Spiritually, we love that what we do also helps people develop a healthy relationship with our Creator,” Edmondson said. “But we don’t want it to be forced, it affects all residents.”
One day, Lux saw someone stopping for a walk near the church and asked him if he was hungry. To Lux's surprise, she said yes. He gave her vegetables from the church garden.
“It made a huge difference in my life and my neighborhood,” Lux said.
James Hanlon's reporting for The Spokesman-Review is funded in part by Report for America and members of the Spokane community. This story may be freely republished by others under a Creative Commons license. If you would like more information on this topic, you can contact our newspaper's editor-in-chief.
