BOCA RATON, Fla. — The Junior League of Boca Raton will soon have a new community garden and are accepting applications for new plots.
The organization had to relocate their old plot near the library after the city approved a new Brightline train station at the site.
The Junior League founded the garden 10 years ago and worked with the city to find a new location.
President Cristy Stewart-Harfmann said their new two-acre garden will be located at Meadows Park.
"We are on track for it to be even better," Stewart-Harfmann said.
She said the new space will allow more than 100 plots, many of them growing food donated to the local community.
Since the garden was started in 2010, the organization has donated more than 10,000 pounds of food to Boca Helping Hands. The bigger space at Meadows Park will allow them to donate even more food.
"We're going to will have a food forest here as well, and so 100% of the food out of food forest [will be donated to Boca Helping Hands, too,]" she said.
Stewart-Harfmann said with the impact of COVID-19 on the community, any additional food they can provide will be beneficial.
Councilman Andy Thomson said he is looking forward to the new garden, and Brightline agreed to pay $300,000 to help fund it.
"They said we want to be able to help you do this and recognize the value of having something like the garden here," Thomson said.
While final agreements are being made between Brightline and the city, Stewart-Harfmann said people can start to lease out plots now.
"We're going to do raised bed plots, so that we have better accessibility for everybody who wants to be here," Stewart-Harfmann said.
The Junior League hopes to begin construction on the garden early next year.