WAPATO, Wash.- For over five years, the Wapato Community Garden has been sitting mostly untouched as weeds took over the garden.
Situated next to the Wapato Middle School, it was hidden in plain sight to many who walked near it.
“I had no idea there was a community garden here,” said Zenaida Rojas. “I literally graduated from Wapato and went to Wapato since I was in sixth grade, and I had no clue that this was right here.”
Rojas found the garden while walking a trail with her cousin when an idea popped up for her.
“I was like ‘how cool would it be to start a project?’ said Rojas, who with her sister and cousin are now working to bring the garden back to life.
After taking on the project around five months ago, the Rojas’s had their work cut out for them as the garden was untended for years, growing over the intended pathway to access the patch.
“There was literally no green like anywhere to be found,” said Rojas. “The beds were pretty messy. There was nothing that was very vibrant.”
Soon after clearing a pathway to tend to the garden, the team found signs of life within. There were some produce still growing including potatoes, mint, grapes and carrots. Zenaida’s sister Trudy says those crops were able to be recycled and maintained to grow in other areas of the garden.
But in working in the garden, they are paying for everything out of their own pockets.
As individuals not working with the school or a non-profit, they are ineligible for grants or support from the city.
Instead, they’ve turned to the community for help. On Saturdays, Zenaida and Trudy head out to the garden and are joined by a small team of volunteers who have also helped in donating some seeds to let the garden flourish.
“A lot of people are aware we’re doing this,” said Zenaida. “I have received a lot of support from people offering seeds. I’ve heard that’s it’s a really great project and I’ve been getting a lot of assistance from people for community outreach.”
To bring the garden back to its full potential, there is a need for donations of tools including shovels, hoses, gloves and shears. An online fundraiser has been set up for the Wapato Community Garden, but anyone with extra tools that can be donated should contact corinarojas018@gmail.com.
In the end, the Rojas’s want the garden to bring back the garden that aims to help the community.
“I want it more accessible to the wider community,” said Zenaida. “Probably doing events or something like that but it’s definitely a trial-and-error basis.”
