Hellmann's are best known for their mayonnaise but they are also sponsors of 94 garden plots almost all across Canada. The plots are for gardeners who wouldn't otherwise have an opportunity to plant vegetables.
Hellmann's is taking the real food movement seriously by starting the
Hellmann's Urban Gardens program.
Hellmann's
has made 94 garden plots available across Canada this year to gardeners who wouldn't otherwise have an opportunity to plant vegetables.
Each of the urban gardens has about 10 plots which are 8x4-feet in size. All are located on larger existing sites run by local community gardening organizations in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Montreal and Halifax, not quite a coast to coast program but a great start.
For those who want to grow their own food, it is necessary to submit explanations of why they should receive a free plot. Those who win receive a plot along with a gift bag of seeds and other garden-useful supplies. In Toronto, plots can be found at the Emmett Avenue Community Garden (at Jane and Eglinton) and Fort York Community Garden (Lake Shore and Bathurst).
This is year two for Hellmann's Urban Gardens and this year the company is collaborating with
Evergreen, a not-for-profit organization that makes cities more livable and is making thousands of similar plots available across Canada.
The program is also providing plot winners across the country with increased access to gardening experts and centrally located plots. The expertise being made available is essential for those who have not grown vegetables before. This will increase the gardeners' odds of success tremendously.
"When I harvest tomatoes, I have my neighbours over to share, and we might make spaghetti sauce together on a weekend," says one plot gardener.
The communal urban garden or community garden is a great method for building community by turning strangers into neighbours, united by a common purpose, growing their own food.
