Hutt St Centre and Splash Adelaide are working together to bring fresh salad to the South East Park Lands with “Herbie on Hutt”, a mobile garden installed on the corner of Hutt Road and South Terrace.
The mobile garden has made its way around the city and North Adelaide over the past 18 months and is now settled in to a spot in the Park Lands where people facing homelessness, social isolation and disadvantage can join together and cultivate their own fresh herbs and vegetables.
The project focuses on plant care as a great leisure activity for everyone but especially for those people with limited or no access to a garden or tools of their own, with the added bonus of being a food resource for Hutt St Centre and others.
Lord Mayor Martin Haese said he believes gardening is a very rewarding activity and that this initiative would encourage a sense of connectedness for vulnerable communities.
“To be able to bring gardening to people who don’t have access to their own garden to tend, really is a wonderful idea and this definitely adds a new dimension to the whole Splash Adelaide program.
“The mobile garden was seen to be a big success in community areas, such as in Light Square in the CBD and Wellington Square in North Adelaide,” said Martin.
CEO Ian Cox says Hutt St Centre is a place for hope and opportunity in helping people in need to rebuild their lives.
“Gardening is a combination of physical activity, being at one with nature, developing cognitive awareness and also work satisfaction which combined improves all over wellbeing.
“The mobile garden will be something that people who visit Hutt St Centre can take pride in and maybe discover a new passion for gardening.
“Having Splash Adelaide on board to support this project provides great assistance and reflects some of the strong community culture in Adelaide.
“I’d love to see projects like the Herbie on Hutt rolled out across the city. It’s a really easy and rewarding way to engage with people who may not have been active members of society for a long time,” said Ian.
The Hutt Street Centre’s Herbie on Hutt will be predominantly used for people who are part of the Aged City Living Program for over 50’s, however any assistance and support from the community will be welcomed.
Hutt St Centre serves over 50,000 meals each year to people who access the centre as well as providing shower and laundry facilities, social work and allied health services, recreation and education, and employment assistance.
To find out more about Hutt St Centre’s Herbie on Hutt and keep up to date with other Splash projects and events people can visit www.splashadelaide.com and download the Splash Adelaide app by searching for ‘Splash Adelaide’ in the app store.
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