TOLEDO, Ohio — A north Toledo church is dreaming big in hopes of making a difference in the local community, by nourishing hearts and bodies.
They are hoping the creation of a community garden filled with fruit trees will help feed the surrounding neighborhood.
"We started this garden project in about 2015. Then it was just a vacant lot,” said Pastor Mike Hanck, at Salem Lutheran Church on N. Huron St. in the Vistula neighborhood, who envisioned more for the small plot of land. "You could see it on Google Maps, nothing there except that one single tree out front."
Pastor Mike says he wanted the space across from his new church to flourish.
"The congregation they didn't want it, the previous pastor just bought it with no process. So I said to him coming in as pastor I said ‘if you let me do whatever I want with it you won't have to worry about it’," said Pastor Mike.
Since that humble beginning, the garden has come to life – apple trees, cherry trees, peaches, and, maybe one day, pears.
And it’s all up for grabs for whoever needs it.
"I like that he plants the trees, because it's gonna be accessible food to the public that really wouldn't have it,” said Malaysia Branch, who volunteers in the garden. “We do have a lot of homeless people around here."
In just a few years, the garden park has transformed the area.
"It creates a Van Gogh effect in the summer. It's a nice place. No one ever sat on these benches until we planted these flowers.
Pastor Mike says the garden has become a fixture in the community, and like any tree – the roots will get stronger in the years to come.
"Someday far from when we planted it, they're going to be more grown. They're going to have fruit. And then you could be a kid in this neighborhood just walking down the street. You may be hungry. You see an apple, you pick it and you get to eat it," said Pastor Mike.
In the meantime, even though the trees planted on Sunday aren't yet bearing fruit, the once vacant lot is still a lovely and serene place, and something the community can be proud of.
The hope is that the garden will bring a positive impact to Toledo and prove that anyone can work to improve their city.
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