THE AHIMSA HOUSE PHILLY COMMUNITY GARDEN BEGAN when 5007 cedar ave was purchased in 2011 with $15,000 that the city of Philadelphia granted Margaret Ferrigno for a wrongful arrest by PPD. After a long search for a large space with a neighboring vacant lot in Cedar Park, she bought 5007 in order to open a center for nonviolence and had the vision to use the vacant 5005 property as a community garden. The neighbors told Margaret that she would be responsible for the upkeep of 5005 and she quickly turned the vacant land into a garden. The garden feeds many neighbors, runs at-risk-youth educational programs and herbalism workshops and provides a green space for people to take time out and connect with mother earth. Margaret and the community have invested thousands of dollars into amending the soil, planting perennials and annual crops and offered thousands of hours of sweat equity.
5007 Cedar and 5005 cedar (www.ahimsahousephilly.org) has been serving the community as a space to share practices of peace since 2012. Each day there are two to three free yoga, dance, music and meditation classes. The garden is a big part of our mission and benefits many people by providing human-nature connection and fresh organic food!
In 2012 Margaret followed Councilwoman Blackwell's advice to enter the lot into shariff's sale, she put a down payment of $800 on the property and was to be given first bid, as the adjacent house owner and caretaker of the property. A developer then bought the property out from under the shariff's sale and would not consider Margaret's offers to purchase the property. He then sold the property at $62,000.
After recognizing the importance of the garden to the community and a week long change.org campaign, the developer is willing to sell the property for $80,000 if the sale can be completed in MARCH 2015. Upon obtaining the property Margaret will turn the space into aLand Trustto ensure that it remainsgreen spacefor the future.
This property is worth more than money. This property is a piece of community development, the type of development that MLK, Gandhi and other nonviolent revolutionaries encouraged.
Please honor our work, the earth and the struggle to rise above economic violence, save the ahimsa house garden!
WE ARE ONLY ASKING $15,000 FOR THIS CAMPAIGN-Our goal is ultimately $80,000, the beneficiaries and those who know and use our garden are not rich and we do understand that many people can only contribute $10-$25. but if 800 people do that its PERFECT! THIS GARDEN WILL BE TURNED INTO A LAND TRUST, please support our healing space!
Please don't stop at $ either! This is a community garden and we love others to come garden, share seeds, wisdom and stories. COME ENJOY THE SPACE WITH US <3
With much gratitude,
Margaret Ferrigno & Ahimsa House Philly Crew
www.ahimsahousephilly.org