I recently met a new friend in Guelph, Ontario who shared her story of how she helped nurture an amazing neighbourhood. Mary-Kate Gilbertson is well known in Guelph as a community leader, who has a passion for her community and the environment. She and her partner Mike Craig are at the helm of numerous exciting projects in Guelph; all working to support their community and spreading goodness far beyond their own backyard.
Through several intentional choices, they have succeeded in creating an incredible supportive community of people that support growing local food and coming together often to celebrate their families and their street.
At the hub of their successful community is an urban farm called Meadowview Farm that was created in their backyard. Relating to this space, several other success stories have grown:
1. Hosting a weekly backyard potluck every week in the warm months which involves getting permission from the City of Guelph to limit traffic on their street during designated times.
2. Receiving guests from far and wide! The couple is involved with the International WWOOF network which welcomes travelers to work on their organic garden plot in exchange for room and board. Related to this endeavor, they also own the Purple Cow Hostel, and a 6-plex apartment building. Some tasks have now been extended to sharing the some responsibility for maintenance of their airbnb cottage.
3. Turning their chicken coop in to a shared rent or own endeavor per chicken with Backyard Bok-Boks
Meeting Mary-Kate was especially poignant for me: I just moved to a new neighbourhood and learning about the impact that this family has had on their street is inspiring. I am brimming with ideas of how I can get involved and make decisions with intention to help nurture my new community.
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