Holy Nativity Church in Westchester will launch its new Community Garden project with festivities on Sunday, June 8, 2 - 5 pm. The parish recently converted its south lawn to a garden area, where they have planted crops to serve community members in Westchester and the LAX Food Pantry. 
    

Peter H. Rood, rector of Holy Nativity, will open the event and introduce the Community Garden project, which is a collaborative effort with Urban Farming. Among the goals of the garden are providing fresh produce, educating people about healthy eating, greening the environment, raising awareness about the food shortage, and donating to those in need. 
     

Attending the event will be community members, political figures, representatives from Urban Farming and the Los Angeles Conservation Corps, students and faculty from neighborhood schools, interfaith leaders and more. Musical entertainment and refreshments will be provided. Holy Nativity's garden is a participant in Urban Farming's "INCLUDE FOOD! initiative, which encourages homeowners and businesses to plant food-producing plants in their gardens and landscaping, a project similar to the "Victory Gardens" that were planted by some 20 million Americans during World War II.
    

Urban Farming's mission is to eradicate hunger by planting edible gardens on unused land and space and by increasing diversity, motivating youth and seniors, and optimizing the use of land for the production of food and alternative fuel. For more information, contact Joyce Lapinsky Lewis, 323.610.97-0798.
    

Partners, supporters, and sponsors of this project include International Garden Center, Starbucks,  Home Depot, Timberland Tree Company, Los Angeles Conservation Corp, and Environmental Change-Makers.
    

Holy Nativity Episcopal Church is located at 6700 West 83rd Street in Westchester (Los Angeles). For further information, visit the parish website or call 310.670.4777. For a YouTube video about the garden project, click here.