22 | APRIL 23 • 2020 

L

ocal food pantries are 
struggling to provide 
the necessary produce 
and food for those who need 
it most during the coronavirus 
outbreak. A new initiative from 
a local Jewish sustainability lab 
aims to change that.
Hazon Detroit, a nonprofit 
that works with Jewish and 
non-Jewish organizations to 
help educate the community 
about creating healthier and 
more sustainable ways of life, 
started their Relief Garden 
Initiative in late March after 
they noticed their partner 
organizations needed help.
This initiative enables any-
one in the community to sign 
up to receive 2-5 gallon-sized 
buckets worth of compost and 
different seed packets so they 
can begin planting their own 

gardens and growing their 
own produce. Growers have 
the option of either keeping 
the produce for themselves 
or donating it to others in the 
community.
Wren Hack, director of 
Hazon Detroit, and her team 
personally deliver the compost 
buckets and three seed pack-
ets to anyone who signs up. 
Packets consist of cool-weather 
vegetables such as lettuce, spin-
ach, beans and peas. The com-
post comes from its partner 
organizations in Detroit and its 
other program, Hazon’
s Seal of 
Sustainability.
“We are asking people who 
already garden to enlarge their 
garden and grow more, and for 
those who have never gardened 
to start,
” Hack said. “Once they 
begin harvesting the produce, 

they can call us and we will 
come pick it up and deliver it 
to food pantries, or they can 
keep it for themselves if they 
are in need of the food.
”
As of April 17, Hack had 
made 65 deliveries across 
Metro Detroit with 15 more 
in the queue. Hazon has also 
begun planting their own 
produce using Summer in the 
City’
s hoop house in Detroit 
(Summer in the City co-found-
er Ben Falik is a Jewish News 
contributor). 
A hoop house is a series of 
large hoops — made of plastic, 
metal or wood — covered by 
a heavy layer of greenhouse 
plastic that can be installed 
quickly over small to medium 
gardening plots. It protects 
your plants from wind, snow, 
rain and sun.
Farber Farms at Tamarack 
Camps has also allowed Hazon 
to pick up harvested greens 
and deliver them to food pan-
tries around Detroit.
The food pantries that 
receive the harvested produce 
include Yad Ezra, Hospitality 
House in Commerce, Oakland 
Avenue Urban Farm in Detroit 
and City Covenant Church in 
Detroit.
“This initiative allows 
everyone stuck at home to get 
outside safely, to work in the 
ground and to actually produce 
something that can support 
them and support others,
” 
Hack said. “Not only are we 
helping people in this time of 
need, we have also created a 
community where master gar-
deners want to help and reach 
out to those who have never 
gardened before.
” 

You can sign up to receive compost 

and seeds at https://tinyurl.com/

y9munu47. You can also donate at 

https://donate.hazon.org.

Creative Gardening 
for a Cause During 
COVID-19

The Relief Garden Initiative allows 
community members to get outside
and help those in need. 

CORRIE COLF STAFF WRITER

Jews in the D

PHOTOS COURTESY OF HAZON

Alex and 
harvested greens 
at Farber Farms 
at Tamarack 
Camps.

Hannah from Hazon at Summer 
in the City’
s hoop house.

