{"id":10009,"date":"2015-05-13T00:00:51","date_gmt":"2015-05-13T00:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/new.brethren.org\/news\/?p=10009"},"modified":"2018-11-07T17:35:56","modified_gmt":"2018-11-07T17:35:56","slug":"unique-alaska-gardening-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/2015\/unique-alaska-gardening-project\/","title":{"rendered":"Alaska Project Receives Going to Garden Grant to Support \u2018Far North\u2019 Gardening"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Photo by Penny Gay<\/small>
Bill Gay gardens in Alaska<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A unique gardening project in Alaska is one of the sites receiving grants through the Going to the Garden initiative of the Church of the Brethren Global Food Crisis Fund (GFCF) and Office of Public Witness. \u201cI was just floored by what they are doing,\u201d commented GFCF manager Jeff Boshart.<\/p>\n

The Alaska effort is a personal mission of Bill and Penny Gay and an outreach project of their congregation at Pleasant Dale Church of the Brethren in Decatur, Ind.<\/p>\n

The Gays\u2019 work in \u201cfar north\u201d gardening started in 2003 when Bill went on a Learning Tour to Arctic Village, Alaska, with New Community Project. \u201cI’ve been back to Alaska each year since,\u201d he said, and his wife Penny has become equally involved.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were led there to plant many more seeds than the planting of the seeds for the gardens,\u201d Bill explained.<\/p>\n

The work to help native Alaskan communities develop gardening has produced fresh vegetables and better nutrition in places where food supplies are limited–a crucially important aspect of the work. But the Gays\u2019 work on gardening has extended from the physical into the educational, and the spiritual, and has included a sharing of the Christian gospel. Among the side benefits: the Gays have taught young people the basics of gardening. And they welcomed a new member into the community of faith, when one of the men who lives in Arctic Village was baptized.<\/p>\n

This year the couple are excited about a new and even more challenging prospect: helping far north native Alaskan communities transition from gardening into farm production. \u201cNow it\u2019s time to really get to work,\u201d Bill said in a recent telephone interview. \u201cNow I know why we\u2019re here. Now I know why God\u2019s got us going back each year.\u201d<\/p>\n

More than planting seeds<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The gardening work in Alaska was sparked by a conversation with a family in Arctic Village, who were experiencing intestinal complaints. Bill suggested that growing their own fresh vegetables could help, but he was told that gardening that far north is difficult if not impossible. \u201cLet me try,\u201d he told them.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt first they laughed at us,\u201d Bill remembered. \u201cBut by the second year, they weren\u2019t.\u201d The warnings and cautions about far north gardening did not pan out, as the Gays\u2019s work began to have success.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t easy, it was not glamorous,\u201d Bill said. \u201cWe would beat ourselves to the bone, living in a tent, but it worked.\u201d<\/p>\n

At first they went door to door offering to help families prepare a garden. They helped families plant their gardens, then turned over ownership of the gardens to the families to maintain. Many families found the work of gardening to be therapeutic, Bill said. It became a way to get rid of daily stress as well as a way to get fresh vegetables into their diet.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe found it resonated more with kids,\u201d Bill said. The children helped promote the gardens, the Gays found. \u201cMy parents have a garden, why don\u2019t yours?\u201d Bill heard the children saying to each other.<\/p>\n

Although successful, the work is physically demanding. Bill goes to Alaska first, and Penny meets him there after the school year ends. By the time she arrives, he may have lost as many as 25 pounds, because of the sheer physical exertion he puts in. The labor to garden that far north requires more than the bending, stooping, and digging of gardening in southern climes–it also includes carrying water. And gardens in Alaska require different techniques such as the use of mounds and elevated beds, because perma frost is an issue.<\/p>\n

By 2011, there were 25 to 30 gardens in Arctic Village, after five years of work. That year was the last the Gays worked in Arctic Village, having moved the effort to Circle at the invitation of a native Alaskan leader in that community.<\/p>\n

From gardening to farm production<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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Photo by Bill Gay<\/small>
A cabbage grown in an Alaskan garden<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In Circle, the work to help people develop gardens is beginning to shift into the concept of farm production. Bill explained that the people in Circle started realizing that there were prospects for jobs and grant money in farm production, that are not there in community gardening.<\/p>\n

A shift to farm production from developing gardens will take some time, perhaps several years, and will require more investment of money and resources from the native Alaskan community. But it is a very exciting prospect for the Gays.<\/p>\n

However, Bill pointed out that the accessibility and affordability of gardening keeps it foremost. \u201cYou do not have to spend money, just a little hard work.\u201d<\/p>\n

At this point, the Gays are planning two more years of work in Circle, and then hoping for five more years of work in other Alaskan communities, \u201cand see where we can run with this,\u201d Bill said. \u201cNow we have established ourselves, and this is our ninth year. They know we\u2019re going to come back.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018I can\u2019t believe I am part of it\u2019<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Bill\u2019s excitement and commitment to gardening in Alaska came through loud and clear: \u201cThe benefits go on and on and on,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s just humbling to be in a position to be able to help so many people. This mission work has come to define us. I just can\u2019t believe how my wife and I have come to be part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

A project that started small \u201chas progressed, and has inspired many people. It was worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over the years they have been joined by church groups for service projects, and also have spent time working for Habitat for Humanity. They have attracted much media attention in Alaska, and even were approached by the Discovery Channel for a television show which they turned down because that kind of attention does not fit with the mission. \u201cThat is not the grand pay off we\u2019re looking for,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cI couldn\u2019t be happier,\u201d Bill simply said. \u201cThat\u2019s what I know for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Photo by Bill Gay<\/small>
Penny Gay works in one of the greenhouses in Circle, Alaska, built with help from Going to the Garden grants. The grants are an initiative of the Church of the Brethren’s Global Food Crisis Fund and Office of Public Witness.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Going to the Garden grants<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The Church of the Brethren\u2019s Global Food Crisis Fund (GFCF) has provided two grants of $1,000 each, in consecutive years, to the Pleasant Dale Church for the gardening work in Circle, Alaska. There is conversation between the Gays and GFCF manager Jeff Boshart about a larger grant from the GFCF to support next steps.<\/p>\n

The Going to the Garden grants have helped pay for the building of a greenhouse in Circle. Most of the sites receiving Going to the Garden grants are located at Church of the Brethren congregations or in their neighborhoods. However, the project in Alaska is thousands of miles from the nearest congregation. Despite the distance and geographical separation, the Gays consider the Alaska gardens an outreach project of their Indiana congregation.<\/p>\n

For more about Going to the Garden see www.brethren.org\/peace\/going-to-the-garden.html<\/a> .<\/p>\n

For more about the Global Food Crisis Fund go to www.brethren.org\/gfcf<\/a> .<\/p>\n

To apply for a Going to the Garden grant contact GFCF manager Jeff Boshart, jboshart@brethren.org<\/a> , or Office of Public Witness director Nate Hosler, nhosler@brethren.org<\/a> .<\/p>\n

Find a Fairbanks \u201cNews Miner\u201d article about Bill and Penny Gaye\u2019s work titled \u201cNewsflash: Gardens Can Grow in the Arctic\u201d at www.newsminer.com\/newsflash-gardens-can-grow-in-the-arctic\/article_89c567d5-746b-5203-99b3-7471d8a278a8.html?mode=story<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A unique gardening project in Alaska is one of the sites receiving grants through the Going to the Garden initiative of the Church of the Brethren Global Food Crisis Fund (GFCF) and Office of Public Witness. \u201cI was just floored by what they are doing,\u201d commented GFCF manager Jeff Boshart. The Alaska effort is a personal mission of Bill and Penny Gay and an outreach project of their congregation at Pleasant Dale Church of the Brethren in Decatur, Ind. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1295,379,1260],"wf_post_folders":[],"class_list":["post-10009","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-advocacy","tag-global-food-crisis-fund","tag-global-food-initiative"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10009","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10009"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10009\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12651,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10009\/revisions\/12651"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10009"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10009"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10009"},{"taxonomy":"wf_post_folders","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wf_post_folders?post=10009"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}