Nourishing Gardens Project
All the flowers of all he tomorrows are in the seeds of today - Chinese proverb
Children's Garden Project
Open Spirit is excited to launch a new partnership, which brings together many elements of our mission. As part of our new and renewed “Nourishing Gardens” project, we are partnering with Hoops and Homework, Pelham Recreation Center and Tasty Harvest Kitchen Gardens to help children in South Framingham discover the joy of gardening.
Professional garden designer and mentor Safiyat Hamiss works with both of these afterschool programs to help children design, plant, maintain and harvest vegetables from raised-bed gardens. The project promotes love for the earth, understanding of the food cycle, and appreciation for healthy food.
We look forward to hearing stories and seeing photos of the gardens as they develop. Photos below are courtesy Safiyat Hamiss at Tasty Harvests.
Click here to donate to help support this wonderful project!
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Community Collaborations
Framingham Community Farm
Along with Edwards Church, Open Spirit is proud to host the Framingham Community Farm. The project began with a Project for Peace grant, the mini-farm now includes 18 raised beds, built by groups of local volunteers, including FSU's rugby teams, Advocates, and youth from First Parish UUA, and three beehives.
The farm is fighting hunger with fresh produce and providing meaningful service opportunities for youth and underserved community members.
All the produce grown is donated to A Place To Turn food pantry in Natick. If you are interested in learning more or volunteering to help, please contact Diane Bassett at framinghamcommunityfarm@gmail.com
Campus Gardens
Come visit our beautiful gardens!
Sit on a bench amidst beautiful, colorful flowers and absorb nature's peace. Pick berries in the Edible Forest Garden and enjoy the natural sweetness. Relax in the Veteran's Healing Garden. Enjoy our access to the Carol Getchell Nature Trail. Take a book from our Free Little Library and enjoy reading amongst nature. In the late winter, join us in collecting maple syrup. Take a meditative walk through our labyrinth. Participate in an outdoor wellness class.
Veteran's Healing Garden
In the fall of 2015, employees from Lowe's in Framingham chose to create a Veteran's Healing Garden as their annual "Hero Project." Volunteers from Lowe's, Open Spirit, Edwards Church, and the VA Vet Center spent a long hot day, clearing brush and planting bulbs and bushes.
The result is a lush, colorful garden with benches and a walking path. The VA Vet Center counseling room located on our campus looks out onto the garden.
Edible Forest Garden
This garden grew out of a collaboration between Open Spirit's One Earth Collaborative and Transition Framingham's Food Forest Fellowship. The garden is an example of "permaculture," a movement that seeks to create landscaping that is in harmony with nature.
The garden is filled with native plants that nourish the soil, use less water, and produce fruit for animals and humans.
The garden, which was started in 2016, has been designed by Andrew Whittaker of Green Abundance by Design.