Story submitted by Felicia Smith

“Wanted to share a nice story about a multigenerational – homeowner & renter – food for friends garden in light of the “Be the Change” campaign.

Gail Jonas (80) and I (32) have been friends for a few years. Last year she had an idea to encourage older Healdsburg folks to share their private property with aspiring gardeners that live in nearby multi-family complexes. A true symbiotic relationship, where the neighbor is tending the garden for an older resident, sharing underutilized resources and building local food security. In an effort to be the change I wanted to see; I took her up on the concept.

Last year we were met with the typical “busy” lifestyle and let the vegetable garden languish. However, this year we were quite motived amidst Covid-19. The veggie plots are planted with the usual suspects – tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, cucumbers, melons, watermelon, lettuce, kale, beans, and beets. Unlike last year’s pre-covid busy-ness, this year we get to physically distance in the garden while sharing stories (sometimes wine!), troubleshooting dwarfed plants, and envisioning the possibilities of an orchard and chickens. This garden not only provided much needed sanity during quarantine, but broke the patterns of isolation and forged a genuine friendship.”