The Salvation Army Field of Greens is a community garden created with the support of the Port Arthur Rotary Club in 2009. After a hiatus taken during the construction of the Salvation Army’s new Journey to Life Centre and the COVID-19 pandemic, Field of Greens reopened in its permanent home at the Centre in spring 2022.
The gardens host Salvation Army programs that help people to develop their gardening and kitchen skills and provide numerous mental health benefits, including positive connections with other members of the community. The deep raised beds are accessible to individuals using wheelchairs, allowing everyone to participate. Community gardeners, program participants, residents and volunteers plan and work together to tend a variety of vegetables like beans, kale, tomatoes and onions.
Everything harvested from the gardens supports the organization’s programming. Some of the produce is used by Salvation Army chefs to make lunches and by participants in cooking programs, and the remaining vegetables are used to make delicious and nutritious soups for the Soup Van.