Grangers and Kiwanis volunteers built garden boxes for people who need them
Equinox Garden Box Build April 13, 2025
The sun was shining, the sky was blue, and busy bees were humming around everywhere. It was not just the insect variety that was active, but rather a vibrant community of people who came out to the Sebastopol Grange on Sunday, April 13 to participate in the first ever Equinox Garden Box Build Day. To encourage more folks to experience the delights of home gardening, to share building skills, and to enhance bee habitat, members of the Sebastopol Grange and the Kiwanis Club of Sebastopol collaborated on this service project to provide a hands-on experience of building redwood garden boxes.
All ages and skill levels were invited to share proficiencies and resources to make something useful and beautiful. People signed up to either be a builder, a helper, a recipient, or to help with deliveries. Understandably, some people took on more than one role as people wanted to learn how to make their own box and donate money to help cover the costs.
Throughout the day, around 40 folks–teenagers to an almost 86-year-old juggernaut, gathered from Sebastopol, Santa Rosa, Forestville, and Cloverdale, and joined together in small groups to work. Because of the talented group of skilled builders, many of the materials were arranged in pre-cut kits with sample boxes and dimensions ready to replicate. After a brief safety meeting, skilled builders guided helpers who learned how to assemble and fasten the boxes. The boxes were then finished with a bottom of hardware cloth (“gopher wire”) with participants working together to cut the wire to length and staple it to the bottom of the box.
Materials had been gathered in advance of the day. The redwood was a combination of newly milled wood (thanks to Full Circle Mill and Sturgeon’s Mill), purchased redwood (thanks to Sebastopol Ace Hardware for helpful pricing) and reclaimed redwood fence boards (thanks to Daniel O. Davis). The fasteners and hardware cloth were also from Sebastopol Ace Hardware.
Recipients could donate and receive a box. Many of these people also needed help receiving their boxes, so willing volunteers with trucks, loaded up finished boxes and took them to people’s doorsteps, grouping the deliveries by geographic location. It was quite a sight seeing people working together to load and strap the trucks with three or four boxes that had just been assembled moments before. It was an all-service production line.
From noon to four, folks worked, took shade and water breaks, and ate veggie burritos that were provided. At the end of the time, 36 boxes had been finished and 23 had been delivered or went home with their builders. This was a fantastic accomplishment for a first-time event.
This project was made possible because of seed grants of $500 from both the Grange and the Kiwanis Club. People have made donations online and with cash and checks. To be able to replicate this event again to give even more people a chance to grow food and learn skills, we need more donations. If you would like to help, you can make a tax deductible donation online or write a check made payable to Kiwanis Club of Sebastopol. Because of the outpouring of response, we know there is a need in the community. In these uncertain times, what we can count on is our community and the food we are growing in our own backyards. Like bees in the hive, we all have our part to play for the greater good.
Event organizers Dena Allen, Carol Henderson, Craig Litwin, and Brad Smith would like to thank the generosity of all who helped make this possible through labor, materials, or financial support. Let us do it again!
Photos by Carol Henderson and Dena Allen.
Grangers and Kiwanis volunteers built garden boxes for people who need them Read More »
