HAPI-Bulacan’s Blooming Garden

By Glemir Sordilla
Member of HAPI-Bacolod | HAPI Scholar

“To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow” – Audrey Hepburn

Seeds of hope and change were planted in HAPI-Bulacan’s Community Garden last September 15, 2022, at the homey HAPI Headquarters in Malolos, Bulacan. The mothers of Bulacan, who filled the place with their vibrant smiles and enthusiasm, were involved in the green session. They have been a part of HAPI since December 2021 and are often recognized for their unwavering volunteerism.

Together, the HAPI members and volunteers planted assorted vegetables. Healthy produce like vegetables has always been integral to iconic Filipino dishes. Thus, HAPI-Bulacan included staple vegetables such as eggplant, okra, bitter gourd (ampalaya), lettuce, basil, parsley, bottle gourd (upo), and ginger in the planting session. As Filipinos are also huge fans of sweet and delicious fruits, papaya and tomato seeds were also on hand for the event. Oyster mushrooms were expected to thrive in the community’s environment so the volunteers sowed a couple of those in the garden, too.

Community gardens are commonly put up nowadays and with good reasons. Gardens like these contribute a variety of purposes to places that hold the sense of community and ‘Bayanihan’ seriously. Community gardens offer health benefits, educational opportunities, and economic advantages. They also reduce food deserts.

The Bulacan community garden aims to provide a continuous and sustainable source of essential food for the members and other people of the community who are still feeling and experiencing the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic. On top of that, this garden will help the members to practice their patience and hard work because they will regularly cultivate, dig, and water the plants.

Gardens like these contribute a variety of purposes to places that hold the sense of community and ‘Bayanihan’ seriously

Mary Jane Valenzuela, HAPI-Bulacan’s Lead Convenor and HAPI’s dedicated Chief Finance Officer, emphasized the importance of the garden in the Bulacan community, “I want them to see that in return for their hard work and love, the garden will provide them with healthy vegetables which they can cook and eat together with their family.”

The success of this event would not be successful without GO Humanity’s unyielding support for HAPI. Valenzuela exclaimed how this community garden might not be special to some people but to the moms of HAPI-Bulacan, this is a huge help to their daily lives as they are still recovering from the effects of the pandemic. “Knowing that there are other organizations and people who are there willing to help them will give them strength to fight and move forward. To GO Humanity, thank you for always supporting our advocacies. Thank you for making our dreams come true,” Valenzuela added.

At present, the HAPI people from Bulacan are tending and maintaining the garden through their passion and determination. Before long, they will see the fruits of their labor but even now, the garden keeps the sense of community in their area alive.