East Central Ministries

CURRENT COORDINATION – 2020/2021:

• ECM is currently building out their Healing Garden with the Ag Project, which should be built out by November 2021. This initiative is supported by the Permaculture Grant through irrigation and plant purchases, and through the Presbyterian grant through labor, design, and additional materials.
• Growing Awareness Urban Farm is a micro-enterprise of East Central Ministries that grows seedlings, makes clay ollas, raises chickens and bees, and engages in work for community growth. East Central Ministries would like to continue working to enhance their site as well as provide on-going support to other project partners where possible. ECM can assist with training for maintenance associated with designated sites and contracts and can provide instruction space for classes.
• The Growing Awareness Farm provided over $1,000 in plant starts to the Urban Ag Project in 2020 and 2021. They were donated or given at cost to the Urban Ag Sites and included discounts on Ollas for Van Buren, Tiny Home Village, Suzy Q’s garden, and the Presbyterian Kaseman Community Health Resource Center Garden.
• The Healing Garden at ECM provides opportunities at multiple levels of engagement. First, the Healing Garden mitigates storm water through terracing and rain gardens using basin and swale green infrastructure. The garden also irrigates using mostly rainwater catchment from the building. The garden is being planted with herbs as recommended from the traditional healers of the neighborhood shared in an extensive interview process during 2020. Signage will accompany the herbs to share stories of how these plants have been traditionally used. Additionally, the garden provides a meditative space and healing connection for patients of the One Hope Clinic and ECM’s Food Coop.

PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS – 2020:

• ECM held several workshops in 2020 including strawberry transplanting, and nursery seeding. ECM also took on an intern through the IDHCC and Future Focused Education to assist with the interview of herbalists and the spring planting season.

PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS – 2019:

• East Central Ministries (ECM) manages a food co-op and partners with the University of New Mexico to run a medical clinic in an adjacent building in the International District. The project site is in between the 2 buildings. Construction is underway led by East Central Ministries.
• 2 – 2500 gallon water catchment tanks have been installed on-site in 2019 by a local Eagle Scout as part of his community outreach work.

OPPORTUNITIES:

• The project is a model for future therapy gardens in small spaces and demonstrates how stormwater runoff catchment can be utilized to augment or replace typical irrigation systems.
• ECM wholesales plant starts (and seeds) to several groups in the Int’l District and is a resource for local urban agriculture groups.
• ECM could be a site for future Steering Committee meetings and workshops.

LESSONS LEARNED:

• Although ECM propagates, sells and distributes many types of vegetable and produce plants the therapy garden’s function is aimed at providing a space for meditation, solitude and private medical consultation for clients at the ECM / UNM Medical Clinic.