Article
The Genesis Garden
May 5, 2025
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Kitty Creery's father taught her how to garden.
"We grew all our food from the earliest days I can remember," she said. "Dad did the gardening and Mom did the canning."
Kitty doesn't grow her own food anymore; her yard doesn't get enough sun. Instead, her lifelong love for gardening blossoms out into the community, feeding the hungry through the Genesis Garden.
The Genesis Garden was built in 2016 as an Eagle Scout project through Boy Scout Troop 400, which has met at Aldersgate UMC for decades. The garden fell out of use during COVID. But in 2022, Aldersgate folks Kitty Creery, Regina Whitaker, and Jane Bahor began working to revive the neglected space.
Immediately, the garden was blessed with heavy harvests. "In those days Regina and I would walk down the aisles at church before worship started, giving away little bags of cherry tomatoes," Kitty said. In 2023, the harvest became so plentiful that finding a place to donate produce became a challenge. Thankfully, Kitty made a connection with the Durham Rescue Mission.
To receive a large quantity of produce, a charitable organization needs adequate refrigerator space and preparation areas. The Durham Rescue Mission location on Alston & Main is equipped to receive the Genesis Garden's produce, which currently averages about 30 pounds per week during growing season. This location, which serves three meals a day to those in need, prepares and serves as much produce as the Genesis Garden can give, and more.
The garden doesn't just feed the hungry; it also provides a point of connection between Aldersgate and surrounding neighborhoods. In fact, that's how Kitty and her late husband Pres got involved. As she and Pres took walks around the track during the COVID pandemic, they started to help clear the trail of unwanted overgrowth. Then they noticed the unused garden. Kitty's love of the soil took root, and the rest was history.
During growing season—spring, summer and fall—the Genesis Garden is always in need of volunteers and donations. Planting, weeding, watering and delivering all keep the Durham Rescue Mission's refrigerators stocked with produce. In fact, the garden currently has multiple large pots of unused soil just waiting for more volunteers to dig in. Our 2025 yield could significantly increase if more volunteers lent a hand to keep it growing.
If gardening feeds your soul, please reach out to us. Let's dig in to God's abundant creation and nourish those in need.
If you'd like to help, contact the church office (information in the footer) or email Kitty directly at kwcreery at hotmail dot com.
