It begins with boxes.  Hundreds and hundreds of cardboard boxes snatched from Safeway, Camp Kwomais, and overflowing recycle bins.  We stretch them out, yank off the tape, and cover the rectangle of grass that is to become Alexandra Community Gardens.

Next the donated sawdust—in fact, everything is donated—is wheel-barrelled out, and then the wooden garden boxes placed in their rows.  Eight hours and thousands of shovelfuls later, and thirty raised beds are ready for seeds to reach their verdant heights.

Of course, this did not really begin with boxes.  It began with an idea, which came from the people, that germinated at a community gathering.  Thank you to everyone involved—those with shovelling and wheel-barrelling muscle, and those with a vision to grow food, flowers and community in the heart of Crescent Beach.  Our collective blisters are testament to a fierce passion and genuine dedication. How often do hands across three generations come together to move dirt instead of gigabyte?

This shared ritual of growing food—ever since humankind sowed that first seed in the good earth—is now a forgotten art to the social media masses.  I may tweet like the rest, but I stand determined to dig my fingers into the soil from which our grocery stores greedily stock their shelves.  On this day, we laid the groundwork for sustainable community connections and a foundation for our local food chain.

One of the best ways to build community.