Unitarian Church member KokHeong McNaughton tends to the Food Forest recently at the Unitarian Church. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com
The Unitarian Church Food Forest features fruits and vegetables including tomato plants and an apricot and apple tree. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com
By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com
The Unitarian Church opened its community food pantry, Gaia’s Pantry, in December and since then it has expanded to more than just non-perishable food stuffs and canned goods.
There is a cooler for dairy products and other perishables and now when people open its doors, they can find fresh fruits and vegetables.
Some of the fresh produce comes from the Unitarian Church’s very own Food Forest, a fruit and vegetable garden located on the church’s grounds. Unitarian Church member KokHeong McNaughton said she learned about Food Forests about 15 years ago while reading an article. Food Forests were built on publicly owned land like abandoned lots and along sidewalks, often by Guerilla Gardeners. The produce was freely available to everyone for the picking. They worked well in certain climates like California, Oregon and Washington. Once the fruit trees were planted, McNaughton said Mother Nature would take care of the watering. But here in arid New Mexico, growing food is a challenge.
McNaughton said the Food Forests were invaluable to those who lived in inner-city food deserts where they couldn’t get fresh produce without taking a long drive to a suburbia supermarket.
The idea of a Food Forest got McNaughton’s wheels turning. She explained that the Unitarian Church had a small fellowship garden before the renovation, and church members would grow herbs and vegetables and share them with the congregation. Now that Gaia’s Pantry is opened, and the congregation has a much larger section of the grounds for food production, they were able to donate the produce to the pantry.
McNaughton added that after the Unitarian Church opened its remodeled building several years ago, the fellowship garden was relocated to an area five times its original size. But unfortunately, it sits right over county utility lines. So, they had to grow most of the food in raised beds and containers. She said the garden features herbs, tomatoes, peppers, squash, eggplants as well as an apricot and apple tree.
Besides donating the food to Gaia’s Pantry, McNaughton said she reaches out to Self Help, Inc. to be directed to any clients who might need fresh produce.
Food insecurity and hunger touches McNaughton on a significant, personal level. She explained she grew up in Malaysia during a time when the country was torn apart by war. Her oldest brother died from starvation as an infant born during the war. Her father often said, “As long as you have land and you are willing to work, you will never starve.”
In addition, “good nutrition is the first defense mechanism against illness. In Traditional Oriental Medicine, foods are prescribed as medicines for common ailments,” McNaughton said.
McNaughton welcomes anyone who wants to help out at the Food Forest to get their hands dirty.
“They can help me with weeding and watering, or they can just come and help themselves (to the produce),” she said. “I’ll be around every Sunday from 9:30 a.m. until noon, and often during the week.”
People also may contact her by email, kokheong@comcast.net, or through Facebook Messenger.
The Unitarian Church is at 1738 N. Sage Street.
A scene from the Food Forest at the Unitarian Church. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com
Unitarian Church member KokHeong McNaughton collects herbs recently from the Food Forest. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com
