Elks Rent Party Garden Named South Orange Villager of the Month

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Honored for tackling local food insecurity and enriching the community, the Elks Rent Party garden has grown enough to produce 2,000 pounds of fresh produce every summer to support local food initiatives.

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The South Orange Elks Rent Party Garden was named Villager of the Month of January for “its extraordinary contributions to fighting hunger, fostering community and enriching the lives of South Orange residents.”

South Orange Council Member Summer Jones read a proclamation at the Council’s January 27 meeting that outlined the history of both the Elks and Rent Party and of the partnership, from the planting of the garden on the front lawn of the Elks Lodge in 2012 to its growth into garden producing 2,000 pounds of fresh produce every summer to support local food initiatives.

The Elks Rent Party Garden put down roots in 2012. (Photo courtesy of Chris Dickson)

“The garden was inspired by the Rent Party series, a live music event created in 2009 by Chris Dickson and David Wagner, and was brought to life with the support of the South Orange Elks Lodge a cornerstone of the community for over 115 years, transforming the largest front lawn into a vibrant space that cultivates not only food, but also hope,” Jones read from the proclamation.

According to the proclamation, the garden has donated produce to organizations such as the pantries for Our Lady of Sorrows in South Orange and St Joe’s in Maplewood, and in partnership with SOMA Justice, “demonstrating an unwavering commitment to serving families in need in South Orange and Maplewood” and it is also the home of the Little Pantry and a Little Free Library “further enriching the lives of South Orange residents by fostering access to central services.”

Chris Dickson, left, of Rent Party and Bob Donnelly of the South Orange Elks at the garden. (Photo by Zoe Berkovic.)

Bob Donnelly of the South Orange Elks and Chris Dickson of Rent Party thanked the Council for the award and for its support.

“When I tell folks about what we do here in our two towns, they make comments a lot of times like, ‘I don’t know if I could do that where I live.’  Meaning that we live in a very unique place that supports this kind of initiative,” Dickson said. “And you know, this is really a community effort. As we say in the garden when people ask us what we grow, ‘We grow community’ in addition to produce. So thank you very much for this recognition.”

Donnelly emphasized that this coming summer is the Elks 14th year partnering with Rent Party.

“The Elks, as an organization, we couldn’t be prouder of what we do in our garden. …[The Elks] were so pleased to be able to help out, be part of our community,” he said. “The Elks are all about community service.”

South Orange Mayor Sheena Collum, who once held a birthday party at the Elks Lodge with Rent Party to support the Backpack Pals project at Columbia High School, said she wasn’t sure whether the celebratory moment at the online meeting was big enough for honoring what the Elks Rent Party Garden does.

“We should be screaming it from our rooftops, how fortunate we are to have you in this community,” she said. “You’re the embodiment of servant leadership, and we, we just appreciate you.”

Collum also applauded Dickson and Donnelly for teaming up with local organizations, including a local labor union that helped them clean up the garden beds.

“Seeing all of them at work, partnering with our volunteers on food insecurity, and knowing that if you were to have to pay for that out of pocket, how much that would cost. And there they were volunteering right alongside you,” she said. “You’ve partnered with every single group that cares about the topic of food insecurity. …Day in and day out, you’re always continuing this work.”

The Elks Rent Party garden is hosting an open house on Saturday, February 2 at 10 a.m. at the South Orange Elks Lodge at 220 Prospect Street.

Elks Rent Party Garden at the South Orange Elks Lodge produces 2,000 pounds of produce each summer.

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