Cavendish community hub garden addresses local food insecurity

Londoners explore the Cavendish Community Garden before it’s opening on July 29,2022. (Jenn Basa/ CTV News London)

On Friday afternoon, the Cavendish community garden officially opened to the public.

Located on Cavendish Crescent, the new community garden will supply fresh vegetables and fruit for local agencies that combat homelessness and food insecurity in London.

The project began in April, with help from the Kensington Village Association and the Patch Project.

Also referred to as ‘The Patch,’ the urban garden will also teach transferable employment skills for participants from Hutton House who will volunteer with the program.

“There’s the cost, food deserts, the lack of knowledge and though we can’t tackle all of those, one we can tackle is the knowledge of how to grow your own food,” said Joe Gansevles, the Patch Project coordinator.

The Patch will supply food to three community partners including Anova, Indwell and Sanctuary London.

In March, city council agreed to lease part of the public works yard in Cavendish Park to the food hub.

Mayor Ed Holder, along with other community supporters and volunteers attended the grand opening on Friday.

In the future, the Kensington association would like to see more activities and amenities included in the area such as a community composting facility, tool sharing library, indigenous garden and a celebration area.

— With files from CTV London’s Daryl Newcombe