Summit Community Garden/EATS launched the Food Farmacy program in partnership with The People’s Health Clinic and the Christian Center of Park City in 2023. That year, 1,300 pounds of garden-grown produce was donated to clinic patients experiencing food insecurity.
This year, Executive Director Helen Nadel said the organization has already donated 1,400 pounds of food through the Food Farmacy program, with lots more on the way.
“There are still potatoes in the ground, there are still tomatoes ripening, we're covering those at night very carefully, and they are looking gorgeous. So there's still tons of food coming in,” she said.
However, Nadel said the season wasn’t always looking good.
“That frost in July had us wondering what was going to happen,” she said. “High altitude growing requires a lot of, kind of, attention and diligence. So, checking the temperatures, when is it going to be freezing, when do I need to cover things.”
Nadel said the garden staff grows most of the Food Farmacy donations, but this year’s extra food comes courtesy of local plot gardeners who grew food specifically for the program. Many plot runners would also donate their own fruits and veggies when they had extra.
The growing season is soon coming to an end, so the garden is hosting a cleanup day Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nadel said while the garden is open until it snows, they are inviting plotters to start cleaning up.
