PERKINS PARK COMMUNITY GARDEN
DEDICATION JULY 20, 2011
Pat Morey and Christine Sullivan, Co-Chairs of the Perkins Park Community Garden Task Force, had a vision to extend Sustainable Braintree.s local food initiative.
Pat and Christine met while participating as members of the Farmers Market Task Force in January 2009. After several garden discussions, they realized that they were
both interested in establishing a Braintree community garden.
They decided to attend the Marion Institute's 2009 Bioneer's Conference in New Bedford, MA. After touring New Bedford.s Serenity Garden, they were confident that, with help from town leaders, they could create a community garden in Braintree.
Pat and Christine submitted their idea to the Sustainable
Braintree Steering Committee in January 2010, and the
committee voted to support their garden initiative. With the
addition of a “Community Garden Task Force” to the
organization, they began researching the feasibility of
locating a garden site within the town.
They submitted an article on community gardening that
was published in the Braintree Forum (April 2010), and
were pleased to also receive a positive Braintree Forum
editorial in the same issue, supporting their initiative. Pat
and Christine received an outpouring of support from
Braintree.s community members and town officials.
After meeting with Braintree's Conservation Division,
the Recreation Advisory Commission, and Mayor Sullivan,
they were offered the upper Perkins Park location for the
garden.
To solicit garden participants, they distributed garden notices throughout the Perkins Park neighborhood, the Braintree Forum, the Patriot Ledger and Sustainable Braintree.s mailing list. Thegarden was filled to 90% capacity on sign-up day. Braintree's DPW crew cleared and tilled the area, and by mid-summer 2010, the
participants were able to begin gardening in earnest. The 2011 garden was filled to capacity, and now there is awaiting list. Thanks to the generosity of several prominent business leaders ~Braintree Lumber Company, MKE Development & Egasti Consulting, and Home Depot ~ answering the Community Garden's call for sponsors, the 2010 garden members were able to build and complete an 8. x 10. storage shed to house new garden supplies, obtained through a shopping spree. sponsored by the generous donation of Braintree Cooperative Bank and held at the local Richmond Hardware store. Yankee Woodcarving created and donated an impressive “Perkins Park Community Garden” sign to complete the shed. Sustainable Braintree members and the participants of the Perkins Park Community
Garden, invited Mayor Joseph Sullivan and the garden sponsors together for the July 20th Garden Dedication, to extend a heartfelt “Thank You!” for their support and help in establishing the “Perkins Park Community Garden”.
The plaque is dedicated to the following Sponsors:
The Town Of Braintree ~ Mayor Joseph Sullivan; the Conservation & DPW Depts Braintree Lumber ~ Ron & Bob Gurnon, OwnersBraintree Cooperative Bank ~ Joanne Tully, Vice President Richmond Hardware ~ Steve and David Richmond, Owners Home Depot, Central St, Quincy ~ Sean Gillenwater, Asst.Mgr Yankee Woodcarvers ~ Mike McCarthy , Owner,Sherwin-Williams Paints ~Eric Slater, Manager John Sullivan, building supervisor / shed design Patrick Sweeney, supportive neighbor and friend of our community garden, who donated electricity during the shed building; MKE Development & Egasti Consulting ~ Kathy and Michael EgastiJim Daiute Robert Fricke Stephanie Meyers-Roache Special thanks to The Braintree Rotary Club ~Dr. Peter Kurzberg & Joanne Tully, for their generous donation.
Pat and Christine especially want to thank Sustainable Braintree's Steering Committee, Community Garden Task Force and 2011 Garden Members for their continued support. With the Braintree community's continued participation, Perkins Park Community Garden looks forward to future growth and success.
