The hospital has plans to build a 1,900-square-foot organic community garden on its campus. The garden will be free and open to the public.
“We’ll be planting in June and as soon as we have vegetables, everyone is welcome to come pick a few. The garden will be adjacent to the surrounding Round Valley trail system, and our goal is for people to get some exercise on the trails, then stop by the garden and take home a few veggies or some fruit for a healthy meal,” says hospital CEO Rob Allen.
We've seen community garden pop up across the nation and believe it will be a great addition to the hospital grounds as well as for the Park City community.
But those who love fresh tomatoes and peppers aren’t the only ones who will benefit from this garden. In addition to creating the free community garden, Park City Medical Center is also partnering with five area nonprofits, helping them raise over $160,000 for their causes by selling engraved pavers, which will line the walkways in the new garden.
The nonprofit organizations selling the bricks are:
- Mountain Trails Foundation (www.mountaintrails.org)
- Youth Sports Alliance (www.ysaparkcity.org)
- The Hope Alliance (www.thehopealliance.org)
- People’s Health Clinic (www.phcpc.org)
- Park City Community Foundation (www.theparkcityfoundation.org)
Nonprofits were selected based on how closely they aligned with Park City Medical Center’s objectives. The first being to a commitment to provide medical care to those in need, regardless of ability to pay; and the second to compliment the hospital’s LiVe Well Center, which is dedicated to helping people live more active and healthy lifestyles.
“We also felt it was important to include the community foundation, because they support all of the nonprofits in the Park City area. This way, no matter which organization tugs at your heart, you can buy a brick and still support your cause,” added Allen
Eventually, we hope to offer educational classes in the garden, like healthy cooking classes, community yoga classes and more. We would love for it to become a true gathering place before people head out for a hike or mountain bike ride. A place where everyone feels a sense of ownership and belonging.
We expects to plant this year’s harvest on June 13th. Brick order forms can be found on each of the participating organization’s websites noted above.