A few years ago, Michelle DeRaedke wondered what was her purpose in life.
She left a bad relationship and renewed her Christian faith. But what did God want her to do?
"Grow food. Feed people," popped into her head.
And that's how she came to start the Batavia Community Garden this spring.
DeRaedke said she "planted the seed" for the idea in a March Facebook post.
She had moved to Batavia from Aurora last year. When she lived in Aurora, DeRaedke grew food in her yard and donated it to a charity pantry. She also helped start a garden at her church, Ginger Creek Community.
And even though she now has a 40-by-40-foot garden at her Batavia home, DeRaedke wanted more.
"I'm addicted," to gardening, she said. "March to October, I'm full-force, nonstop."
So DeRaedke asked on Facebook if Batavia had a community garden.
That's where Amanda Rauch came in. She and her husband had moved their young family to a 5.5-acre site on Hart Road in late 2019.
Rauch saw DeRaedke's post and was inspired to offer space.
So far, about 22 people have been involved in setting up the garden, which is 100-by-60 feet, plus a parking area. Fifteen are renting plots to grow food for themselves and to donate. The remainder of the space will be devoted to growing food for the Batavia Interfaith Food Pantry.
The volunteers started site work last week. On Saturday, a girl's soccer team from West Aurora High School will spend the morning rolling up cut sod and cleaning water tanks. Composted horse manure will be spread, wood chips will be laid to form a parking area, and cardboard will be put down to block weeds. "We just want to hit the ground running when Mother's Day comes around," DeRaedke said about transplanting seedlings and planting seeds.
The volunteers are hustlers and recyclers. The cardboard came from Dick's Sporting Goods -- the boxes formerly held bicycles. DeRaedke's wangled a free lunch for the soccer team from Rosati's Pizza. Another worked his business connections to get the horse manure. And DeRaedke is thinking big, asking for a donation of $5,000 in other materials from the Home Depot corporation.
"It's not work for me," DeRaedke said of the gardens. "The Lord has surrounded me with people who help me."
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Community garden sprouts in Batavia, with plans to feed the needy - Daily Herald
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