Serenity Community Garden in Wheaton

When we first wrote about the Serenity community garden back in a 2022 Facebook post, it was just a kernel of an idea. Today, the garden is a vibrant and abundant reality!

Located at the Glenmont Forest Community Park in Wheaton, the thriving garden is the product of many helping hands. Two neighborhood groups, in particular, have been central to the creation and growth of the garden—the Glenmont Forest Neighbors Civic Association (GFNCA; shout-out to members Jim Epstein and Meghan Laprairie!) and many of the members of the Grandview Circle (a group of residents working collaboratively on community projects as part of the Impact network in Wheaton).

Volunteer gardeners from the surrounding Glenmont Forest neighborhood have put in countless hours preparing the site, building beds, putting up fencing, and assembling a tool shed. Today, about 30 volunteers regularly tend to the garden where there are individual plots, but a collective sense of caretaking. Thanks to tremendous support from the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection (MCDEP), the site has a much-needed water cistern.

On a recent weekday morning, gardeners Elizabeth Kilwake and Marvin Mejia could both be found at Serenity. Elizabeth, who grew up on a farm in Kenya, comes to the garden three or four times per week. “I find this therapeutic,” she explained while watering her peppers and potatoes. Marvin, who recently arrived in the U.S., learned farming from his father back in Honduras. Through an interpreter, he shared that the garden is his entertainment—a needed break from his job-hunting.

Impact’s Senior Network Builder Carmen Hernandez has been instrumental in weaving neighborhood connections that have allowed the garden to flourish. In addition to helping bring together the GFNCA and Grandview Circle, Carmen connected the community gardeners to HarvestShare. Gardeners have also been connected, by Jim Epstein, to AfriThrive.  Both organizations are providing horticultural technical assistance and materials to Serenity volunteers.

When asked about the ultimate impact of the garden, Carmen shared, “It’s really helped to bring this diverse community together because they are working on a common project—something they can feel a real sense of ownership around.” Coming later this summer, MCDEP’s Ana Arriaza will be hosting “Eco Evenings” at the garden and plans are underway to welcome newcomer youth as garden volunteers as a way to promote self-expression and connection.