Planting the Seeds of Change: Moorhead Grows Expands to Feed Hungry Neighbors
By Adam Chalifoux
MOORHEAD, Minn. – Moorhead Grows started last summer with just three plots and now has more than doubled, with the seventh garden in the grassy area between Bright Sky Apartments and Silver Linings Apartments in Moorhead.
Moorhead Grows is a grassroots, community movement whose goal is to unite local gardeners to plant and donate produce that will be harvested and given to local food pantries in an effort to feed hungry neighbors.
Organizers say the group’s origins were developed at a local watering hole last spring.
“A bunch of us had a get-together one day at Harold’s on Main,” said Derek Olson, the founder of Moorhead Grows. “My friend, Caitlin, was working behind the bar, and my friend Jeff was there. We had a couple of beers and were just talking about the state of things and how we can have a positive impact on the community.”
Most of the crew were already involved in gardening and donating produce in the area.
“I was like, ‘Hey, let’s do more of that. I am already doing this. Let’s get some more gardens going,” said Olson.
And so, they did, and the idea that started as a seed began to grow.
“We got a couple more people to donate some yard space,” Olson said. “Junkyard (Brewing Company) donated some yard space, which was really cool of them. A bunch of first-year gardens, and some of these guys have never actually gardened before, so that was pretty cool; and people had tomato cages; and it was kind of a mixed yield from places. And that’s basically how it started.”
Churches United has received gifts that will keep on giving: a raised garden bed, seeds, and plants from Moorhead Grows.
The raised garden bed outside Bright Sky Apartments
“This garden is more than a place where vegetables grow,” Churches United Development Director Stephanie Ressler said. “It's a symbol of community, which ties back to our mission. There are things literally taking root at our North Campus now!”
Dorothy Day Food Pantry helps to connect hundreds of community members to nutritious food each week. One of the greatest obstacles, however, remains providing fresh produce consistently due to a short shelf life and availability. Programs like Moorhead Grows, however, do much more than just provide fruits and vegetables.
The Dorothy Day Food Pantry is located at 1308 Main Avenue, Moorhead, MN. The pantry is open to the public and provides a consumer-choice model where people can come inside and shop with no income verification or ID required. Distribution hours are from Noon to 3 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays and from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesdays. The pantry is closed Friday through Monday.
“This partnership is a great reminder that everyone has something valuable to give,” Ressler said. “We hope others see this project and are inspired to find their own way to invest in Churches United, and if not us, somewhere in this community.”
“What's something you'd like to do, something you're good at, and can that be applied to help people?” Olson said.
Moorhead Grows welcomes new members, even those without gardening experience. The organization provides easy-to-follow instructions on how to get involved on its website: moorheadgrows.org.
Moorhead Grows founder, Derek Olson brings tomato cages to the garden
“I’d like it to be where you have small pockets of people doing the exact same thing we’re doing all over the city, all over the FM area,” Olson said. “It doesn’t have to be that Moorhead Grows gets bigger. It’s just that idea of, ‘Hey, I can grow food in my yard, and if I can’t go through all of it, I can give it to my neighbors.’”
Churches United was founded in 1987 in the heart of downtown Moorhead in a former Lutheran church. In 2019, Churches United merged with the Dorothy Day organization, also located in Moorhead. CU now operates Micah’s Mission, which provides emergency shelter and a community day center; Dorothy Day Food Pantry, a standalone food pantry in downtown Moorhead; and Bright Sky Apartments and Silver Lining Apartments, both permanent supportive housing apartments in north Moorhead.
For more information on Moorhead Grows or other inquiries, reach out to Stephanie Ressler at stephanier@churches-united.org.