Pandemic pivoting
It has been awhile since we've reported from the Garden Club at the George Pearson Centre the long term care facility site, home to 114 residents with disabilities (and abilities, such as green thumbs!)
As we all know, 2020 was a very different year, after about mid March. It was tough. We at Farmers on 57th were poised to run another glorious season of therapeutic gardening in partnership with Pearson....when everything stopped. Pearson was locked down to outsiders that weren't considered essential. At first, family and friends could only visit their loved one through the window. In the end, despite our best efforts, there was no Garden Club in 2020, for the first time since 2009.
So, we pivoted. We did our best to bring the gardens into Pearson - via a flower bouquet program. In partnership with Van Dusen Master Gardeners, who were key partners in the education component of Garden Club previously, we grew, harvested and arranged brightly colourful flowers and got them delivered to residents on the inside. It was so successful we plan to continue it in 2021, reaching even more residents than before.
