Community garden to help feed needy planted at Meridian's Virgil branch

Those who have parked behind the Meridian Credit Union in Virgil this week may have noticed some changes on the grass behind the lot.

While at the moment what you see are wooden planters filled with soil, as soon as the weather warms up they will be transformed to a community garden that will produce food to be donated to Newark Neighbours.

Virgil is one of three locations where planter boxes were built at Meridian Credit Union branches in Niagara on Earth Day. The idea for them began with Morgan MacLean, assistant manager in Virgil, who won a contest with her vision of seeing community gardens growing produce that will support those in Niagara who are struggling to with access to nutritious food,

The project has been a year in the works, MacLean told those gathered behind the credit union. “I feel very proud to be one of the piloting branches,” she added, where her idea of supporting local food banks is coming a reality.

The other two are in Wainfleet and Niagara Falls.

Sunny Sodhi, Meridian corporate affairs officer, was also on-hand to see the planters built. He said that for the credit union, “being a good corporate citizen is at the heart of our business. It’s been an integral part of who we are for more than 75 years, and we’re passionate about community support, as Ontario’s largest credit union.”

Piloting the community garden initiative helps Meridian and its communities “plan for a better future that is clean, resilient and diverse,” he said. “We recognize that access to good quality food systems is a challenge for those facing economic barriers in Ontario. We’ve decided to address this issue and have collaborated with our members, employees and local community to ensure that we support those facing access to healthy food.”

There were many “wonderful stakeholders,” that MacLean thanked, including Meridian members, local businesses and sponsors, who supported the credit union's efforts to make it happen.