Jones Garden brings fresh food, people together in Staunton

STAUNTON, Va. (WHSV) - Just last year, a Staunton woman opened up a community garden and little did she know how much it would grow.

”The whole idea behind Jones Garden is to provide affordable fresh food access for people in Staunton,” Naomi Jones, creator of Jones Garden said.

She also hoped to inspire healthier options for the community.

“To allow people to you know be a little more self-sustainable and get more hands-on in the agricultural process from planting the seed to watching the plant grow to picking and harvesting the food, cooking it,” Jones said.

However, Jones realized not everyone could access the gardens. She said customers would come to the gardens but weren’t able to pick their own produce and she would put it in their cars for them.

This gave Jones an idea: to bring her produce to people who can’t get it themselves.

“Health and wellness is a big deal for elderly populations,” Jones said.

So, she created a food delivery service where she and volunteers bring fresh produce to people in the community.

Jones said it started with just the elderly community closest to the gardens but has since grown more than she thought it would.

The deliveries happen every Saturday afternoon. Volunteers leave the fresh produce on doorsteps.

“All of our food delivery participants get a compost bucket and when they compost with us or when anyone composts with us, you get free produce. You can come to the garden and exchange it for some free produce,” Jones said.

Jones said participants of the food delivery service have given positive feedback about the program.

“I had people that said mobility issues was a reason for signing up for the program. Some people said they just wanted to eat more vegetables which was nice,” Jones said.

However, she said many are thankful that the gardens help them financially.

“The fact that we’re giving them fresh produce every single week is helpful especially since food prices have gone up so much lately after COVID. So, that’s been a big benefit for some of our participants,” Jones said.

Jones Garden is located on Montgomery Avenue in Staunton.

The garden has market days on Friday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Those who volunteer to help with the gardens can access them at any time.

To volunteer with Jones Garden or sign-up for the food delivery program visit the garden’s website.

Copyright 2022 WHSV. All rights reserved.