A gardener from Kars, Ottawa, Rachel Gill, is planting seeds of kindness as she grows vegetables for those in need and builds community.

Gill is not only growing food for her family and her neighbours in need but is also helping thousands of people grow their own food online. She started growing vegetables nearly 15 years ago to save money and feed her family. Over the last decade and a half, her one small raised garden bed has grown into a large garden with 42 raised beds that help provide fresh food for many people in her community.

She has a growing online community of over 100,000 followers, who have benefited from her simple gardening tips on growing vegetables, even in small spaces or containers. She asks her viewers to start small and not expect perfection, as everyone learns through experience. Even now, as she tries growing vegetables in a greenhouse for the first time, she says she is still learning something new every year.

Gill grows fresh food for her family and also helps others learn how to garden through her Facebook page, How Does Your Garden Grow. Gill also supports families facing food insecurity by creating “Pay-It-Forward” baskets filled with fresh produce from her garden. Donations made by her online community help her provide these baskets to help feed her neighbours and local families in need. Last year, she delivered 74 baskets of fresh produce and locally made items, such as eggs, honey, jam, soap, and herbs, to 17 families.

Gill finds helping families in need deeply rewarding, and the messages she receives from them often bring her to tears. The community’s support for her family during a serious medical situation inspired her to give back and encourage others to do the same. Gill, a mom of two, says she is not a gardening expert, just a mom who loves growing food and sharing it with others.

Source: Kimberley Fowler, CTV News