As part of our 44th year, we are sharing stories from PARC people to capture their PARC moment, here’s Deanna’s:
“PARC is an all-inclusive substitute to “Mom’s House” to me my parents aren’t around to catch me when I fall but PARC is here to lend a helping hand however they can. In regard to performing everyday tasks such as feeding myself or if I’m in need of a nurse or clothes! It’s a second home! Thank you.”
These acts, while well-intentioned, quietly unravel what nature has built over centuries. But the fix isn’t complicated. It’s about leaving spaces to naturally thrive. Nature knows how to care for itself, when we let it.
Green Space Grounded in Community
PARC member and SPCPG volunteer Ryan first got involved after spotting a sign at his building. What he found is something that connected him to his own history. Ryan’s father was a devoted gardener who spent decades tending his plants. “Being in the garden connects me to my past,” Ryan says. “My father spent countless hours tending to his plants and making them look beautiful.”
But Ryan’s connection to the garden isn’t only personal. “Gardening raises awareness about how we can give back to nature,” he says. “Too often, we take without giving anything in return.”
That instinct to give back is at the heart of what SPCPG is building. Community gardeners have long understood what research is now confirming: that gardening is a grounding practice that measurably supports mental health outcomes. The act of connection with nature allows people to cope with stress, to build community connection, and to find belonging on the land we inhabit.
In Parkdale, that belonging is something worth fighting for. Research from LEAF (Local Enhancement and Appreciation of Forests) shows that lower-income and racialized communities tend to have less green space and fewer environmental benefits when compared to wealthier white neighbourhoods. Green space isn’t a luxury. It’s a matter of equity worth fighting for.
At the heart of SPCPG’s work is a quiet reframe of what beauty means. As Ally puts it: “Beauty is in the relationship between the plant and the pollinator. What I would want people to know, is that every plant is beautiful, where it’s from.”
With help from South Parkdale Community Pollinator Gardens, we can slowly work toward returning Parkdale to its roots.
SPCPG hosts educational events, tours, and workshops every month, and they’re looking for community members to join them — no experience required!
Follow them on social media:
Instagram or Facebook
Join their mailing list by emailing:
spcommunitypollinatorgardens@gmail.com
We acknowledge that Toronto (Tkaronto) is on the traditional territory of many nations including the Haudenosaunee, Anishinaabe, Chippewa, Wendat, and Huron peoples. Tkaronto is covered by Treaty 13 with the Mississaugas of the Credit, and is home to many diverse First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples.