This spring, New Roots collaborated with community partners All Blessings Flow and Cultivate Charlottesville to make gardening possible for an IRC client. All Blessings Flow donated a refurbished electric wheelchair so the client can travel to the garden site and navigate around the garden beds. New Roots was joined by the client and their family members along with several staff members and volunteers from Cultivate Charlottesville’s Urban Agriculture Collective to build wheelchair accessible raised garden beds in the West Street community garden, a half-mile from the client’s home. The energetic group cleared and leveled the land, assembled four garden beds, and filled them with soil. The IRC’s client can now begin cultivating their favorite crops and enjoying all the benefits of being outside in the garden.

The client expressed their excitement to see the project come to fruition, reflecting on the dedication and hard work that led to the final product. They attended workshops, obtained seeds and planned what they would grow in their garden. Among a variety of vegetables, they look forward to growing tomatoes and carrots. They love gardening and said they are happy to be able to begin gardening independently.

If you want to get involved in similar community projects in the future, consider becoming a New Roots Volunteer. We hope you see you out in the garden!