Gardening open house set

Staff report

NORTH LIMA

Seasonal garden treats, butterflies, organic vegetables, creative composting, container gardening and seed-ball making will be featured at the Goodness Grows open house scheduled from 4 to 8 p.m. Aug. 12 and 9 a.m. to noon Aug. 13.

These are the elements of the food, farming and gardening work of Goodness Grows, an outreach ministry of Common Ground Church Community, 2310 W. South Range Road, site of the former Mellinger’s Nursery.

Visitors will be welcomed in the church’s great room, enjoy refreshments of the summer season, and tour the campus to learn about the ministry’s work there and in two Youngstown “food desert” areas, where no grocery store is near.

Greg Bowman, executive director, said families of the church are gardening in raised beds in front of the sanctuary. Friends of the church are tending urban gardens as part of Mahoning Valley City Fresh, a Goodness Grows project connecting fruits and vegetables grown by area farmers with suburban and Youngstown city consumers. Food is distributed through weekly deliveries in a modified Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) arrangement.

The 31-acre former nursery is the home of Goodness Grows, a nonprofit organization that is financially supported by the congregation, grants and donations. Pastor Steve Fortenberry is the founder of the regenerative agriculture ministry, and serves as its board president.

For information, call the church office at 330-549-9408, or email Bowman at greg@goodnessgrows.net.