Winnipeg Airports Authority employees spent the day digging in the dirt, with masks on or staying six-feet apart, planting a crop of vegetables in support of Winnipeg Harvest.
Launching the staff-led garden at the airport was of paramount importance this year due to the extreme impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on members of the community, including children. Earlier in the season, Winnipeg Harvest announced it has experienced a 30 per cent increase since the onset of COVID-19 to its network of 300 food banks in Manitoba.
"Since COVID-19 struck, our warehouse has been focused on packing and distributing emergency food hampers, so we are unable to tend our garden this year," said Colleen McVarish, Assistant Director of Development and Communications for Winnipeg Harvest. "Community food drive donations are normally 20 per cent of the food we receive, so we are so grateful Winnipeg Airports Authority is helping us fill that gap by planting a garden and supporting our Grow-A-Row program."
Since 1997, WAA has grown a garden every year to support the not-for-profit organization. With a greater need for food during this difficult time, it's also inviting its own employees to donate crops from their own garden.
"Over the past 23 years, WAA has grown 63,188 pounds of vegetables as part of Winnipeg Harvest's Grow-A-Row campaign," said Barry Rempel, President and CEO of WAA. "This is one example of the many ways the WAA team gives back to the community and continues to demonstrate our core values as an organization."
With some team members working from home at this time, a number of employees travelled to the airport campus solely to take part in Greening Day. Greening Day consists of planting the Harvest Garden, beautifying the airport grounds with flowers and tidying up the campus by picking up any garbage or unwanted materials
This year's event was coordinated with additional safety precautions in place to meet physical distancing requirements and adhere to best practices related to COVID-19. With hand-sanitizer nearby, masks and gloves on as well as a morning safety session, a total of 26 staff participated in WAA's Greening Day 2020.
Throughout the summer, the airport's groundside maintenance team will help water and weed the garden. The crew also prepare the plot for Greening Day by adding soil and tilling the 50-foot-by-80-foot garden situated just off Wellington Avenue.
"It's the honour of producing food for people who need it," said Patrick Grose, a groundside foreman who has been involved with the Harvest Garden for the past eight years. "That's why I like it."
This season, the airport is growing a number of different vegetables including carrots, beets, onions and potatoes. The WAA team will be checking in on the garden throughout the summer to maintain the plot and make sure the airport sees another great harvest.
