There are few things that can give a greater sense of accomplishment than getting your hands dirty, planting and growing your own food and cooking it up into a delicious meal. Starting this month, Dowagiac residents will have a chance to do just that thanks to a new community garden initiative.

This month, the Grace Center and the One World Center are partnering to start a community garden club. The club, which is open to all community members, is free of charge and will grow a variety of vegetables including kale, tomatoes, onion and more. Starting May 15, the garden club will meet Wednesdays from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at the One World Center, 56968 Dailey Road, Dowagiac.

We think this is an excellent idea for the community. It is no secret that there is a health crisis in our country, and too often access to healthy foods is limited in smaller communities. We appreciate the goal of the garden club, which is to educate community members of healthy and sustainable gardening and to provide individuals with healthy foods. We hope that community members will be able to take these lessons and implement them elsewhere in the community.

Additionally, we enjoy seeing local nonprofits working together for a common goal. Too often, nonprofit organizations are fighting for a limited number of resources. It is exciting to see local organizations come together to maximize those resources and reach the greatest number of people. We hope the Grace Center and the One World Center’s partnership can set an example for other local organizations to encourage collaboration and a way to accomplish shared goals.

We wish both the Grace Center and the One World Center the best of luck with their garden club endeavor and encourage the community to participate.

Opinions expressed are those of general manager Ambrosia Neldon, managing editor Sarah Culton and sports editor Scott Novak.