Our purpose is to grow food for people and pollinators. The mission of Lee Community Gardens is to address food insecurity by creating high yielding, sustainable, regenerative gardens that provide free produce for people as well as native perennials for pollinators. We bring community members together to learn how to plant, grow, harvest, and distribute fresh food and flowers that promote the healing and wellbeing of our people and our native soils, flora and fauna. Resources for the gardens – labor and materials - are provided by Berkshire residents, students, and businesses. Greenagers, a local 501c3, proivides fiscal sponsorship so donations are tax deductible. Our 1st garden, the Lee Downtown Community Garden, is approaching it's 3rd season. 2022 included 200 feet of raised and hay bale beds, an 1100-gallon rainwater irrigation system, a teaching area, and a ‘Take what you need. Give what you can’ farm stand. Produce was delilvered 2x/wk to low-income and senior housing. A second garden was installed at Brown Memorial Court on Marble St. Residents manage the garden and share the harvest. Pollinator gardens are included in the veggie gardens and in 2023 we are launching a pilot pollintor pathway along High St. We have a diverse group of about a dozen core volunteers who work an average of 2 hours a week, mostly May through October, as well as local students (many with ASD) working on projects and internships.