Garden History
An idea
The Bounty Garden was conceived by the mother-daughter team of Heidi and Amelia Abramson after they visited local food banks and took a closer look at hunger here in our own community. Mother and daughter quickly came to understand that fresh produce was not widely available in food banks.
Would it not make sense that the food insecure would greatly benefit from the nutrients in fresh vegetables? Would gardening together form a sense of community for those who wanted to do something to alleviate hunger? Yes, and yes and the idea of the Bounty Garden came to life.
A Special Place
The Town of Danville and Contra Costa County jointly own and operate the Hap Magee Ranch Park in Danville, California. The park, which is rich in history and includes several original structures, would serve as the perfect spot to place the garden. The Town and the Bounty Garden Foundation entered into a license agreement in 2011 whereby the Foundation was granted access to a designated area inside the park and the right to restore one of the park’s original barns.
A Service Project
With much work to be done, friends, family and local scout troops were recruited to construct the garden's first 24 beds. Many students earned service credits for their hard work.
A Labor of Love
In a matter of months the land was cleared of asphalt, the barn was lovingly restored, the original twenty four raised beds were built and the irrigation system was installed.
A Reality
Finally, our first harvest took place in the spring of 2013. As the Bounty Garden thrived, a pollinator garden was added in 2015 and eight additional beds were installed in 2016.
A Community
To date, over 350 individuals have volunteered as Bounty Gardeners. These individuals have learned about organic gardening methods, fed those in need and made countless new friends. The Bounty Garden is truly a community effort to nourish our community.