News Photo by Darby Hinkley Hoop House Managing Gardener Amy Dodge talks about all the benefits of the organic food produced at the community garden.

ALPENA — The Hoop House, located on the Alpena Community College campus, provides organic produce to those in the community who might not have access to fresh, nutritious food.

A true community garden, the fenced-in garden and indoor growing area is carefully managed by Amy Dodge and kept up by a team of volunteers.

Fresh vegetables from the garden are donated to area nonprofits, including the Friendship Room, the Boys and Girls Club of Alpena, Sunrise Mission, Sunrise Centre, Alpena Senior Citizens Center, and more.

“We are totally organic, GMO-free,” Dodge explained. “We’re very picky.”

The Hoop House is registered as a “People’s Garden” through the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“This is a People’s Garden,” Dodge said. “What it’s about is community, and showing people how they can grow easily, and educating people, and making it a community space. That’s really what we want to build on.”

According to a sign on the entrance to the Hoop House, “This garden can make a big impact in your community by: Growing fresh, healthy food and supporting a resilient, local food system. Teaching people how to garden using sustainable practices. Nurturing a habitat for pollinators and wildlife, and greenspace for neighbors to gather, reflect and enjoy.”

For more information, visit usda.gov/peoples-garden.

“We’re looking to go geothermal so we can grow year-round,” Dodge noted.

Geothermal growing involves pipes buried in the ground, which draws heat from the earth to sustain a longer growing season.

“We really want to be working more on composting that generates heat, also,” Dodge said.

She wants to inspire others to grow in the garden, and experience the joy that comes from the harvest.

“What I want this to be is the catalyst for a volunteer hub, where we’re really getting our volunteers working together and taking care of them,” Dodge said.

She added that more people should have access to healthy food.

“The biggest thing we can do, in changing our community, really, is food,” Dodge said. “If we can just show everybody that you can just grow a little food … get them in the garden.”

Dodge started volunteering at the Friendship Room 16 years ago. She regularly delivers fresh produce to the kitchen, located in the old St. Bernard School building and owned and operated by All Saints Catholic Parish, as part of their Center of Charity. People in the community can come to the Friendship Room Monday through Saturday for a free, well-balanced meal.

Dodge is originally from Alpena, but she lived in Florida for 35 years. She jumped right into volunteering when she returned to Northeast Michigan 16 years ago. That’s when she got really into gardening, as well.

She believes that nutrition is key to a long, healthy life.

“Food is our medicine,” Dodge said. “It’s healing. God said it. Albert Einstein said it. For our community to heal, we have to be eating good food. We have to be conscious of what we’re eating.”

She encourages individuals and other community organizations to start growing their own gardens. The Alpena Senior Citizens Center has a garden, and the Boys and Girls Club has been working on one, she said.

“If everyone got their hands in the soil and nurtured something every day, and came together for a meal, it would make a huge impact on our mental health,” Dodge said. “Huge. Those two things. This is what I’ve learned.”

Dodge is grateful for the fruit of the earth, and she prays over each vegetable she harvests.

“The nutrition level is over the top, because I’m blessing this, too,” Dodge said, while holding a freshly plucked carrot. “This is a super healing food.”

She focuses on “connection to source,” and “connection to community.”

“We really want to focus on clean air, clean water, clean soil,” she added. “This is just something that we really want to have the community involved in.”

She said she wants to be able to provide fresh, nutritious food to more organizations and at events.

“You will be seeing our food in the community, but mostly, we want to get it to where the biggest need is,” Dodge said. “That’s really our priority.”

For more information about the Hoop House, and if you’re interested in volunteering, contact Dodge at 989-278-9210.

Reach Darby Hinkley at dhinkley@thealpenanews.com, or call 989-358-5691.