Community Corner

Special Garden In Downriver Serves Area Hungry

Tickets for the fundraiser are available by calling Gwin's Garden at (855) 687-4946. The ribbon-cutting with local officials is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Dec. 12, at the AG Property Services Building. The fundraiser runs from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.


By David Barkholz

The needy in southern Wayne County can pick food from a new “garden” springing up just in time for the holidays.

Gwin’s Garden is a new food pantry and resource center opening Dec. 12, in the AG Property Services Building in Flat Rock. It will be open most days to provide sustenance for families in an underserved area still trying to shake off the effects of the last recession.

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Gwin’s Garden is located at 15005 Telegraph Road at the corner of Will Carleton.  AG Property Services is sponsoring the food pantry, a program of non-profit PASSES FamilyHelp & Training Center. PASSES has offices in the building.

The launch features a ribbon-cutting with Flat Rock Mayor Jonathan Dropiewski on Dec. 12, to celebrate the Grand Opening of the AG Property Services headquarters. The program concludes with a $35-per-plate fundraiser that evening at the Salute Special Events and The Roc Restaurant in Flat Rock.

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PASSES and Gwin’s Garden also are participating in the #givingtuesday.org festivities on Dec. 3. #givingtuesday is a social-media movement that serves as a charitable alternative to Black Friday and encourages people to seek out their favorite non-profits for year-end tax-exempt donations.

AG Property Services owner Adam Grewe said Gwin’s Garden is his way of giving back to a community that has supported his business. The company recently renovated its new Flat Rock headquarters, the former State Police post.

PASSES President Donna Weaver said the food pantry will supplement the efforts of local churches and government agencies. Unlike most local churches, which open their food pantries for just a day or two per month or on special occasions, Gwin’s Garden will be open Monday-Friday. And a hotline will allow families to get emergency food in a pinch. “We’re trying to help complete the social safety net between Detroit and Toledo,” Weaver said.

Flat Rock community schools, for example, have a high percentage of students on free or reduced lunches, Grewe said.

 Donations to support Gwin’s Garden can be made online by visiting www.crowdrise.com/gwinsgarden. Donations are tax-deductible and some employers are matching donations as part of #givingtuesday.


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