Sharing the Best of the Crop -- Several Loyola Marymount University staff members are teaming up with a local church and community organizations to raise healthy food in a community garden for needy people nearby.

It was only a year ago that a community garden just a few blocks from the LMU campus had its “first planting day.” Since then, hundreds of pounds of produce have been grown — all of which have gone to Food Pantry LAX.

The garden was created through the collaborative efforts of Holy Nativity Episcopal Church, where the garden is located, and two community groups called Urban Farms and Environmental Change-Makers. Several LMU staff members have been instrumental in the garden’s success.

Faith Sauerwald, who works in the LMU Athletics Department and is a member of Environmental Change-Makers, worked closely with the Rev. Peter Rood, rector of Holy Nativity, during the garden’s planning phase. She also chaired the kick-off event last June. “The whole purpose behind the garden is to raise fresh fruits and vegetables for the Food Pantry,” Sauerwald says. “We want to share the best of the crop.”

Conserving resources and growing organic produce are two of the main objectives for the garden. A huge receptacle catches rainwater for later use, and underground piping irrigates the plants efficiently. A committee chooses the most suitable crops to be planted each season.

Members of Holy Nativity and Environmental Change-Makers hope that the community garden will inspire others to plant their own garden. Community members have already become involved in other ways. Every Friday, volunteers deliver the harvest to the Food Pantry, and some Westchester residents donate fruit grown on trees on their property.

Anyone interested in participating is invited to volunteer his or her time at the community garden. Some volunteers come every week, and others for a day. To learn more about the community garden, go to the community garden Web site.