GRANTS IN ACTION: M’Wikwedong Teaching Garden
Through a 2023 Spring Community grant from Community Foundation Grey Bruce, M’Wikwedong Indigenous Friendship Centre has opened the M’Wikwedong Teaching Garden, an accessible space that allows for the expansion of gardening programs for the Owen Sound Urban Indigenous population.
M’Wikwedong Indigenous Friendship Centre in Owen Sound has been open to the community for over two decades with the purpose of promoting the reclamation of Indigenous cultures and practices by organizing heritage, language, and wellness projects for all interested participants. The upgraded garden space will include raised garden beds, making it more accessible to those who use a wheelchair or have mobility issues.
The M’Wikwedong Teaching Garden will aid in the expansion of the organization’s gardening program that focusses on educating Urban Indigenous community members about gardening and Indigenous Traditional Food production and preservation. Community members will be able to harvest what is grown and learn how to preserve items in cooking workshops at the Friendship Centre in the late summer and fall of 2023.
The project will impact multiple generations of individuals and families, and is projected to support over 70 people over the growing season. For more information about the support provided by M’Wikwedong Indigenous Friendship Centre to the Owen Sound community, visit www.mwikwedong.com. To donate to organizations supporting Indigenous populations in Grey Bruce, please visit www.communityfoundation.com/donate.