History

The year before we began growing, 2009 –

• Rev. Dana Allen Walsh, of Hancock United Church of Christ, with others, derive idea of starting a garden to provide fresh produce for the benefit of the Lexington Food Pantry, to increase the amount of nutritious fresh offerings available to those with food insecurity in our community.  She brings the idea to the Lexington Interfaith Clergy Association, who embrace the concept and many invite their congregations to get involved.

• 10 faith communities provide initial financial and resource support: Members & Clergy of Temple Isaiah, Pilgrim Church, First Parish, Hancock, Sacred Heart, St. Brigid, Temple Emunah, Follen, Trinity Covenant, Islamic Center of Wayland 

• Mission statement created: The Lexington Interfaith Garden strives to build meaningful interfaith connections through learning and working together to grow organic produce for hunger relief. Our hope is: - to provide fresh produce for people in need - to educate ourselves and our community on the value of local, sustainable farming - to build connections within our faith communities and the town of Lexington - to have fun while doing rewarding work

• Fortmanns offer use of their garden space. Carla volunteers as Garden’s “head farmer.”

1st Year- 2010

• Core group of representatives of the supporting faith communities agree on workable structure

  • Work ~1.5hrs on Tues afternoons (4:30 to 6pm) and Saturday mornings

  • Once harvests begin, we can load up the freshly picked produce on Saturday mornings and bring directly to the food pantry in time for distribution that same morning!

  • Everything gets weighed and recorded so we have a history of the project

  • Recruit, recruit, recruit.  Make it a place where everyone is welcome.

• The garden opens…after 3 days of unrelenting monsoon rains.  Basements may have flooded everywhere, but not the garden.  The wonderful rich organic soil handily absorbed the downpours.

• The first season closed with 995 lbs. total from 35 varieties of vegetables, herbs and fruit.

• 159 individuals volunteered, filling over 400 volunteer shifts

3rd Year- 2012

• Bee hives are introduced in the garden and yields increase over 75% from the prior two years, to 1,637 lbs.  Coincidence?  We think not.  We now average 1,700 to 2,000 pounds annually.

Since inception, thru 2025’s season

• Since inception, 25,000+ lbs. of vegetables, herbs, and fruit have been donated to the food pantry

• About 60 varieties of produce have been grown

• We typically schedule 400 to 450 volunteer shifts a season

• Over 1,100 individual volunteers have signed in over the years-- some once and many dozens of times, so community is being created by having so many like-minded people work together

• We have almost a dozen faith communities partnering with the Garden, including Protestant, Jewish, Catholic, Unitarian, Orthodox Greed and the Arlington Ward of the Latter-Day Saints

• 2026 is the 17th season