Land Rover South Africa has extended its third annual Hope Boxes campaign to include a new Hope Gardens initiative.
With the help of the South African Red Cross, Land Rover identified a garden in Thembisa near Kempton Park in Gauteng where caregivers grow fresh produce to feed the elderly, disabled and youth in the area. Last week team members from the two organisations arrived at the site to not only hand over some of the proceeds collected as part of the recent Hope Boxes campaign, but to completely refurbish the garden and some of its facilities.
Land Rover donated compost, fertilizer, gardening equipment, fencing and shade cloth to the garden, while a full irrigation system was installed to ensure the soon-to-be-harvested veggies stay properly hydrated. Seedlings were donated by Deon de Kock and his company Greenhouse Technology. A small office and kitchen where garden staff prepare meals and soups to feed the community was equipped with utensils, tables and chairs, and local children were taught the basics of gardening.
The gardens were neatly arranged using recycled tyres for cultivation rows as well as retaining walls. Soon the Thembisa Hope Garden will flourish with fresh spinach, cabbage, tomatoes and other vegetables which will be distributed to community members in need.
“With the assistance of Jaguar Land Rover and Red Cross we are now able to grow and continue our work of building a community that believes in a healthy lifestyle. Our organisation promotes healthy eating by providing healthy foods, teaching people how to grow organic vegetables at home and encouraging youngsters to use their hands in the earth for a better future,” said Charles Njapa, garden founder and agricultural expert.
