Toledo area houses of worship are finding creative ways to grow in their communities, thanks to the Sacred Grounds Rain Garden Initiative. The program, which is sponsored by the National Wildlife Federation, offers training to churches and partners them with experts to install native plant pollinator and rain gardens.
“The National Wildlife Federation Sacred Grounds recognizes and supports congregations, houses of worship, and faith-based communities that create wildlife habitats and actively link faith and caring for the environment,” said Tiffany Jones, director of community engagement for the NWF Great Lakes Regional Center.
In turn, the churches become a site where visitors can learn about best environmental practices while touring beautiful gardens.
“Since 2017, the Toledo program has helped leverage the grassroots capacity of houses of worship to act as environmental and social change agents in their communities,” Jones said.
Currently, there are 37 registered faith communities participating in the Toledo area. The program has expanded to three other cities since its inception, supporting over 120 different sites.
The Sacred Grounds program has three core pillars.
1.) Creating a native plant wildlife habitat on their properties.
2.) Engaging their congregation members on site.
3.) Disseminating greening practices outward in the surrounding community.
From Planning to Planted
Trinity Episcopal Church recently joined the Sacred Grounds community, installing raised bed gardens at their Adams Street location.
“Trinity became involved when my husband, Bruce and I heard about it during a course to become Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalists,” said Rev. Meribah Mansfield, deacon. “We were pleased to find a local program that offered so much helpful support for our desire to demonstrate care for creation on our newly renovated second-level plaza.”
Mansfield learned that designated Sacred Grounds sites must complete a series of steps, from creating a native plant garden to setting up educational tours that connect the habitats to their faith communities.
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Over the course of sixteen months, the congregation planned their ambitious project, from design to implementation. They employed professional help along with more than 50 enthusiastic volunteers to bring their project to completion this summer.
“Marilyn DuFour, board member with Sacred Grounds, matched us with a mentor, Tom Schoen, who coached us through the entire process of planting eight large concrete containers on the plaza. Tom is a landscaper with over 40 years of experience. We could not have done this challenging project without support from Tom and Marilyn. Also, many Sacred Grounds congregations donated native plants to get us started.”
The church also received assistance from a grant provided by the Terhune Foundation, which helped pay for over 1500 40 pound bags of soil and mulch in addition to the purchase of plants, supplies and irrigation systems.
“We bought native plants at the Wood County Park District and Wild Ones-Oak Openings Region native plant sales last spring,” Mansfield said. “Those who attend our open houses will see the native plants thriving, being enjoyed by butterflies, bees and birds. The eight garden beds contain three Celebration red maple trees, three beds of native plants (two of which are rain gardens), a vegetable garden planted by the children, a rainbow daylily garden, a hosta garden, a bed filled with Serviceberry and Red Twig Dogwood bushes, and a bed planted with a ground cover of native Common Blue Violets.”
Building Bridges, Growing Communities
Sacred Grounds Toledo has collaborated with many local organizations, including the City of Toledo, Wild Ones-Oak Openings Region Chapter, Toledo-Lucas County Rain Garden Initiative, and Multifaith Council of Northwest Ohio. They offer classes and workshops for anyone interested in participating.
Future installation projects include St. Mark Lutheran Church, the Thomas Wernert Center, Collingwood Presbyterian Church, and the Collingwood Arts Center. These projects will be funded by the Stranahan Supporting Organization of the Toledo Community Foundation, working with NWF and local partners.
Tiffany Jones feels that the program has had a positive impact on the community by helping diverse groups build meaningful relationships while beautifying the city’s landscape.
“Sacred Grounds Toledo has contributed to the restoration of local ecosystems by increasing the use of native plants across the region, especially at houses of worship and community centers and in residential neighborhoods,” Jones said. “They build bridges while working toward a common goal in a time when that is desperately needed.”
