07/30/2026
🌱 Please Help Protect Our Community Gardens 🌱
This gardening season, St. Andrew's Community Garden (behind the St. Andrew’s Seniors Centre on Exeter Rd.) has experienced several incidents of violent vandalism and theft.
Plants have been slashed and stolen, produce has been harvested before it’s ready and laid on the soil to rot, decorations smashed, and the hard work of all gardeners to maintain this space and grow food has been impacted.
Community gardens exist to bring people together. They provide a space for people to grow their own fresh food, support local pollinators, create green spaces, and offer a place where neighbours can learn, connect, and give back. Every plot at SACG represents countless hours of families and individuals - several of whom are food insecure or have a lower income - planting, watering, weeding, and care. Each plot’s contents belongs to the plot holder and picking without permission is not allowed.
This is not an isolated phenomenon; other community gardens in Durham have been especially targeted this year as well. However, the nature of the vandalism and the intent to prevent any harvests was especially concerning to us.
We’re asking everyone in our community to help look out for these shared spaces. If you’re walking by, keep an eye out for suspicious activity. If you see someone intentionally damaging the gardens or stealing from plots, please speak up and let them know they’re seen. If you notice anything else, reach out to the committee at [email protected].
If you have children, this is also a great opportunity to teach them about respecting community spaces and the time and effort that goes into growing food.
Together, we can help keep our community gardens safe, welcoming, and thriving for everyone. Thank you to everyone who supports and respects these special places. 💚🌼
