Thanks to support from the Ontario Trillium Foundation and the Nuclear Waste Management Organization, improvements in Melgund Township are moving forward.

We have eight new garden beds to get ready at Dyment Recreation Hall and Park, and we’re looking forward to putting them to work. The planters are coming into place, the garden expansion is underway, and there’s more room ahead for growing fresh food right here in our community.

The new planters are sturdy, spacious and ready for a lot of hard work. Each one gives us room to grow more food for the community, and together they will help us build a garden program that can support a wide range of crops throughout the growing season. We’re looking forward to seeing them filled with soil, seedlings and, eventually, the vegetables and other produce that make all this effort worthwhile.

Growing food, strengthening community

The garden is part of our recreational community garden and food security program, which brings together food production, recreation and opportunities for people to take part in something useful close to home. Growing food is about more than what ends up in the harvest. It gives people a reason to get outside, work together, share skills and build stronger connections with their neighbours.

These improvements are happening alongside upgrades to the complex’s water systems and commercial kitchen. Together, these investments will help us make better use of the facilities at Dyment Recreation Hall and Park, supporting community activities, food preparation and future programming. The garden beds are one part of a larger effort to make these shared spaces more useful, welcoming and accessible to the people who rely on them.

Thank you for investing in our community

Local recreation halls, parks, kitchens and gardens give people places to meet, participate and feel connected to where they live. They can make a real difference, particularly in small communities where shared facilities are an important part of everyday life.

We’re grateful for the support of the Ontario Trillium Foundation’s Capital Grant program and the Nuclear Waste Management Organization, whose funding helped make this year’s infrastructure improvements possible. These investments will help us create more opportunities for physical activity, strengthen community connections, care for the environment and support people facing economic challenges. Special thanks go to the Local Services Board of Melgund for supporting strong, healthy recreation programming for our communities.

There is still work to do, but the garden is coming together. We’ll be finishing the expansion over the coming weeks, getting the beds ready for planting and planning what we can grow in them.

We can already picture what this space will look like when the garden is full. We’re thankful to everyone helping make it happen, and we’re looking forward to growing something good here together.