A Garden for Good

Following in our First Lady’s footsteps, two enterprising young women have started a Community Garden in co-operation with the South Pasadena\San Mario YMCA.  The Garden is the brain child of Andrea Damian, an Altadena resident who works as General Manager of Ellen’s Silkscreening in South Pasadena, and Catherine Mi Welch, a long time South Pasadena resident.  The women met through the Junior League of Pasadena where they worked together on a program called “Side by Side” where middle school girls learn the importance of volunteerism.

Damian and Welch, both YMCA members, thought it would be a great idea to have a community garden and it seemed like a natural fit to get participation from the YMCA.  The garden, which is located on the corner of Garfield and Huntington Drive, is utilizing the land that normally sits empty except during the winter months when it becomes the YMCA Christmas Tree Lot.

The pair believe that the Community Garden reinforces what the YMCA promotes, a healthy life style; it brings in the nutritional component of organic gardening and the ecological component of self sustainability.

The garden is made up of 17 raised boxes all built by volunteers utilizing   donated goods or items purchased with donated funds by YMCA members.

Many in kind donations have also been received. Dirt for the raised beds was donated by the Mi Family. Whittier Compost donated compost and OSH is donating broken bags of soil and compost that are not suitable for sale.

Ellen’s donated commemorative t-shirts which will be sold to help continue to raise on-going funds.  Local businesses and individuals are invited to join Ellen’s in keeping the YMCA growing by becoming sponsors as well.

For more information check out the Community Garden Blog at:  http://ymcacommunitygarden.blogspot.com/ or visit the YMCA website at www.ymcala.org