Today, the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Grey Bruce celebrated the success of its Food Forest with a barbeque to thank all staff, volunteers and members of the community for their hard work.
The forest includes a fruit orchard and berry bushes and 70 raised garden beds for vegetables, herbs and other edible plants. In less than a year,the volunteers and staff have built a new driveway, trellis, a rain water catchment system, 20 new raised beds, and purchased more seeds, seedlings and shrubs. Equally as important, the 10 gardeners of the Food Forest are learning more than just how to plant, tend and harvest vegetables. They are developing life skills and strengthening their mental health.
Claude Anderson, Executive Director, of CMHA Grey Bruce, told the gathering about a conversation he had with one of the garden workers who said he had not had a job for twenty years and had always felt he was taking from the system. Working in the food forest, he finally felt that he was giving to the community.

"This is what recovery looks like." Anderson said.

Speaking on behalf of the City, Councillor Jim McManaman said the project is an example of what can be done when the municipality and community work together.  A once well-used tennis court and lawn-bowling green was revived from its derelict state to a vibrant community space. Within a few years  it will be available for public fruit picking and include a living labyrinth/outdoor education space and a butterfly garden.
Produce from the Food Forest already helps to feed the community.
The garden harvests have enabled 60 people to receive local, healthy meals five days a week through the Union Place community brunch program, and the gardeners also sell the produce for between $1 and $3, making affordable food accessible to the community while also raising money for the CMHA.

Thanks to the supporters and champions of the program and Aviva Community Fund's generous grant of $100,000 last December, CMHA Grey Bruce has been able to accelerate its three-year plan for the Food Forest program.
Support from the community has also been remarkable. A new food dryer has been built, thanks to the dedicated work of volunteer students from Owen Sound District Secondary School, and local contractors have been instrumental in erecting a new shed in St. George's Park.
About CMHA Grey Bruce:

Since 1963, CMHA Grey Bruce has played an important role in community-based programs, services, and public education. Our mission is to provide programs and services that support the resilience and recovery of people experiencing mental disorders, and to enhance, maintain, and promote the mental and emotional health of all individuals in Grey and Bruce counties. We are dedicated to improving the lives of people with lived experience of mental illness, yet our goal is also to achieve mental health for all. We accomplish this mission through advocacy, education, and services.
source: media release, CMHA