Growth beyond the garden

Midway Green Spirit Community Garden (1341-1383 W Taylor Ave) has been around for 24 years. There are about 50 current gardeners, some who’ve been there since the beginning, holding memories of breaking the soil, and digging up the first plots.

The community garden’s location cannot be developed for housing, so this was the perfect opportunity to turn it into something that could positively benefit the community, according to Megan Van Roekel. Midway Green Spirit has been donating to Keystone Food Center since the garden was established.

Van Roekel, part of the community garden’s leadership team, is currently in charge of the group that donates to the Keystone Food Center and has been for the last six years. There is a plot called the Community Circle, which is the main place where the food donated is grown. Sometimes people who have plots grow too much food for their household, so the leadership team will harvest that food for donation.

The process starts with planting in May and June, then harvesting when things are ready, usually in early July. This group has people who water, some who do the deliveries, and others who help harvest and bundle the food.

“We do it twice a week, on Wednesday and Sunday evenings we harvest, so then the donations go in Thursday morning and Monday morning,” said Van Roekel.

When preparing the food to be donated, the leafy greens and herbs are bundled individually so they are easier to grab. Food such as tomatoes and peppers are packaged in clamshell containers from berries also for the convenience of the Food Center participants. A lot of thought and care is put into the preparatory process so that the food stays fresh throughout the whole donation process.

Green Spirit volunteers talk to workers at Keystone Food Center to know what is most needed and wanted by the participants there. They then change what they grow in the garden based on those desires.

Van Roekel said, “It’s a way that fulfills me. I want to care for my community. I want to give back. I want to do something to support my community, and this is a good way that I can do it.”

Green Spirit has reached about 900 pounds of food donated to the Food Center. Pears, apples and plums from Green Spirit’s orchard are also donated. The most popular foods for Keystone participants are greens (lettuces, kale, collards) and also herbs (basil, chives, parsley, cilantro, and sage). Herbs in stores are very expensive, so the desire for them is high, and to have them fresh and locally grown is even more good for the greater benefit of the community, Van Roekel pointed out.
According to the Food Center, Green Spirit donates some of the widest variety of fresh foods compared to other gardens.

Van Roekel said, “Donating food is a really direct way that we are supporting our community and sharing the skills that we collectively have here.” She observed that Green Spirit also impacts the community by incorporating native plants around the Pierce Butler Boulevard route which in turn helps the local ecosystem.

Van Roekel said, “I love being outside and growing my own food and connecting with nature. I love gardening. It’s just a part of who I am.”

Keystone Community Services, which opened the Food Center on University Avenue in January 2024, was founded in 1939. “Since we started operations at the Food Center, we have increased our ability to store more food and give more food to the community. Our participants love the Food Center due to its location right along the light rail, more expansive selection, and larger community space,” remarked Keystone Food Center Warehouse Supervisor Nick Hedman.

Hedman stated that community gardens provide the Food Center fresh food that can’t be found from larger bulk growers. The sooner this food is donated, the fresher it is. There are some foods that can only be promised from community gardens. These include eggplants, hot peppers, tomatoes, kale, and herbs.

Hedman remarked, “The Midway Green Spirit Community Garden is a great donor. They are always asking about what produce our participants want and what other produce they could grow”.

In early November 2025, SNAP (Supplementary Nutrition Assistance Program) had its funding suspended due to a federal government shutdown. This impacted over 440,000 Minnesotan residents. Keystone Food Center, as well as other food banks and organizations were extra busy, seeing more people than usual looking for a free food resource.

Overall, Keystone Food Center values fresh produce as a way to improve the community’s quality of life. Having access to fresh, locally grown food, that people who come to the food center don’t usually have, is important to encourage healthy eating habits, according to Hedman.

Lucia Bodling is a junior at Central High School in St. Paul, interested in journalism.