TVHD garden update

The Tehachapi Valley Healthcare District has been a supporter of the Tehachapi Humanitarian Relief Group (THRG) and The Villages’ local humanitarian efforts for years, from helping with fundraising events, gathering volunteers and stocking their food pantries.

Most recently, the healthcare district has filed for a grant that would give them the funds to complete a second community garden. TVHD has partnered with the THRG and The Village on a community garden project, which started with a small lot in The Village’s backyard. It has now expanded to include a second and far larger garden next to TVHD’s new offices at 116 W. F St.

The new 10,000-square-foot space will allow THRG and The Village to grow and distribute a significantly larger amount of food to local families in need. Access will be granted to community members throughout the year for events and educational opportunities, the first of which to be a kid’s pumpkin picking event this October. TVHD is also planning to rent out a small number of planters to local businesses and restaurants to help support the maintenance cost of the garden.

Dedicated volunteers have recently finished plowing the garden, making way for a mid-May planting. Around this same time, grant awardees will be announced. With a little luck, the project will be fully funded. TVHD and The Village meet the fourth Sunday of each month at 11:30 a.m. Meetings are open to the public and located at TVHD’s new offices at 116 W. F St., Tehachapi.