By Eli Mack, Kencove, Blairsville, PA
“We can begin by doing small things at the local level, like planting community gardens or looking out for our neighbors. That is how change takes place in living systems, not from above but from within, from many local actions occurring simultaneously.”
— Grace Lee Boggs
Local actions occurring simultaneously… this is where the most impactful changes take root. We believe that at Kencove. Convictions of local support drive us to get involved, serve, and donate in our community, and to be one of those local actions supporting other local actions.
Kencove recently got involved with the Blairsville Community Garden to address some of the challenges our hometown growers were facing. People growing food in the community garden plots were providing food for folks in need, church and food pantry efforts, and their own families, while giving the lion’s share to rabbits, deer, and other critters who also appreciate these edible donations. Crop protection was desperately needed!
The community garden needed a fence and fence is our specialty. Kencove jumped in by not only donating the materials, but also by investing the sweat equity to install to fence ourselves. Our crew worked hard to plan, design, and implement a fence system that would exclude deer and smaller animals, allow access to the water supply, and make vehicle and foot traffic simple and effortless. Over the course of a few weeks, our Kencove crew set aside time to mark the site, drive posts, tension the woven wire, and hang gates on site.
The result of all that labor and detailed effort was nothing short of a professional-looking fence that Kencove and our community growers can be proud of. The garden has already received more inquiries about available plots since it is now protected by a fence! At Kencove, we take pride in the quality of our products and materials, our community, and our craftsmanship, and it shows when you visit the Blairsville Community Garden. One of the garden managers, Leann Chaney, even remarked that they now have the “best looking garden fence in the state!” We believe when you serve, you should serve with excellence.
There is so much good that grows from our local community garden. The people behind it are generous and selfless in their harvest, those are the people worth supporting. Kencove chose to get our hands dirty for those hard-working individuals by serving in a capacity where our strengths could elevate theirs, where we could serve those serving our community. This is what simultaneous local action within a living system looks like. This is what resilience and stability looks like. This is what community is meant for. This is where you can find Kencove, in the heart of the community with sweaty brows and dirty hands.
Happy growing to all our friends at the Blairsville Community Garden!
The article above was provided by Kencove based on the service project they completed just before Memorial Day. We applaud our members on their philanthropic efforts and love being able to share them with you. Do you have a story to share or a way your company gives back? Please contact us so we can share your story!