Feeding body and spirit: Area groups digging into gardening

Mohamed Youssef is helping start the first garden at the Islamic Center of Greater Toledo. 'If we do this, we can give the food bank the vegetables and produce from our land.' THE BLADE/ANDY MORRISON Enlarge | Photo Reprints

Local faith communities might be reaping a bumper crop this fall, literally, with visions of produce and vegetables growing in abundance.

Woody and Judy Trautman, who cofounded the MultiFaith Council of Northwest Ohio in 2003, are working hard to get as many churches, temples, synagogues, and mosques in the Toledo area to start gardening.

In addition to 16 houses of worship that already have gardens, the Trautmans have helped several other congregations, including Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and Buddhist groups, to start digging in - literally - this spring.

Gardening accomplishes a number of goals that align with religious principles, Ms. Trautman said, most notably environmental stewardship and feeding the hungry.

"Certainly care for the environment and compassion for the needy are keystones of all faith communities," Ms. Trautman said.

Mr. Trautman added that gardening can inspire diverse groups to work together in harmony with a common purpose.

"There are some congregations that have not been participating in other multifaith activities, that may be a bit at arm's length theologically, but they have gardens and we immediately have something in common. It's another way to bring them into the fold," Mr. Trautman said.

Among the groups leading the way is the Sisters of St. Francis of Sylvania, who have a large outdoor garden and have been developing a heated indoor facility where they can keep growing food year-round.

Monroe Street United Methodist, Glenwood Lutheran, Messiah Lutheran, Salem Lutheran, and St. Lucas Lutheran are among the model examples in the area of churches that have been feeding the needy for years from the abundance of their gardens, the Trautmans said.

Among the newcomers to gardening are the Hindu Temple of Toledo and the Toledo Zen Center, both of which are planting crops this spring, and the three local Jewish synagogues that will work together in the fall with a garden on the grounds of the Jewish Community Center in Sylvania.

One faith community that is planting its first garden is the Islamic Center of Greater Toledo, which has a 25-acre site at the junction of I-75 and I-475 in Perrysburg Township.

"We're trying - if the rain ever lets up on us," Emmett Kadri said. "The ground is partially tilled. We plan on growing tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, okra, and Swiss chard."

Mohamed Youssef is one of the volunteers at the Islamic Center who's been getting the garden going.

"Our idea is that we have too many acres without anything on them," Mr. Youssef said. "And every year we give to the food bank. I was thinking that if we do this, we can give the food bank the vegetables and produce from our land."

He said that eventually the Islamic Center would like to be able to offer its neighbors space to plant their own gardens on the mosque's grounds.

The importance of gardening, Mr. Youssef said, was taught by the Prophet Mohammed, the founder of Islam, who said that if you have a small plant in your hand, even if the world is about to end you should still put the plant in the ground and not throw it away.

The Rev. Beth Marshall, pastor of First Unitarian Church of Toledo, said her church began gardening when it moved from its home in the Old West End to its more spacious site on Glendale Avenue in 2008.

The church's garden is one piece in a bigger "Green Sanctuary" effort at First Unitarian.

"It's really an umbrella program that is impacting every facet of church life, from themes in religious education to themes in worship to the way we heat the building to the way we do community gardening, even to the way we do potlucks with everybody bringing their own dishes," Ms. Marshall said.

Karen Foster, who helps run First Unitarian's garden, said the members hope to grow enough produce that they can donate some to area food banks and the needy.

"Right now a lot of the produce is for private use, for people who don't have a lot of land. But anything we have in excess will be shared," she said.

The MultiFaith Council has been working with Michael Szuberla of Toledo Grows, an outreach of the Toledo Botanical Garden, to provide training and resources for local faith communities to begin gardening.

There are special techniques available for growing in urban locations, using vertical and hydroponic gardening, the Trautmans said.

First Unitarian's Ms. Foster said that gardening can be a spiritual experience, depending on the individual's perspective.

"I think most people interested in gardening will tell you that they find it a spiritual practice - growing something from seed, working outside, enjoying nature. There's something about working in the dirt," she said.

The gain in popularity of gardening has been noticeable in recent years, Ms. Foster said.

"It really is a growing movement," she said.

Contact David Yonke at:

dyonke@theblade.com

or 419-724-6154.