Shared Harvest Community Garden, a staple of Coeur d’Alene’s charitable landscape since 2008, is racing against time and property ownership to secure its future. The three-lot garden on 10th Street and Foster Avenue currently operates under private ownership by Marshall and Dolly Mend, but faces liquidation within one year of the owners’ passing unless the garden organization can purchase the property outright. With an estimated price tag between $1.2 million and $1.5 million and only $20,000 in reserves, garden leaders are launching an urgent fundraising campaign to preserve what has become a vital source of fresh produce for North Idaho’s most vulnerable residents.
Feeding Coeur d’Alene’s Hungry Through Fresh Produce
Every Monday and Wednesday, approximately 48 pounds of fresh vegetables and produce leave the garden and arrive at Father Bill’s Kitchen, a food preparation facility serving St. Vincent de Paul North Idaho. The kitchen transforms that donated harvest into meals for homeless individuals and families struggling financially, serving clients five days per week throughout the year. So far this year, the garden has contributed roughly 900 pounds of produce—with projections suggesting the total will reach 3,000 pounds by December.
Christie Masters, a garden leader, emphasizes the nutritional impact the garden provides to the broader community. “It ensures they get some fresh produce in their diet that they don’t normally get,” Masters told the Coeur d’Alene Press. Beyond Father Bill’s Kitchen, the garden has supplied produce to Community Action Partnership, 3rd Avenue Marketplace, Union Gospel Mission, and families dealing with serious illness, including those with ALS members.
From Individual Plots to Community Mission
The garden began modestly about a decade ago as a collection of individual plots before evolving into its current community-focused model. Today, approximately 25 volunteer gardeners tend the beds, with each gardener keeping roughly one pound of produce for personal use while donating the remainder to the charitable distribution network. Beyond cultivation, others contribute to property maintenance and upkeep.
The garden’s reach extends into local education and youth development. Homeschool groups and organizations serving special needs populations use the garden for outdoor classes and learning experiences. Boy Scouts have previously contributed benches and an entry sign to the property. An annual Harvest Festival in October draws community members, while the garden’s educational mission has become woven into the fabric of Coeur d’Alene’s neighborhoods.
A Critical Fundraising Push
Facing the existential threat to its mission, Shared Harvest has intensified its fundraising efforts. The organization is hosting “Dinner Under the Stars” on August 22, featuring a buffet dinner, bar service, live music, and an auction. The event represents a major push to close the gap between the garden’s current reserves and the purchase price needed to secure the property. A similar fundraiser held three years ago raised $20,000—a significant contribution but still a fraction of what the garden must raise.
Masters expressed concern about what could happen if the garden cannot purchase the property. “What’s the history and what does the community want the future to be?” she asked the Coeur d’Alene Press. “Because if we can’t hold on to it, then it will become houses. We all know that’s what will happen.”
What Comes Next
The garden’s survival depends on the community’s willingness to contribute. Beyond the August 22 Dinner Under the Stars event, Shared Harvest will need to pursue additional fundraising avenues to reach its $1.2 million to $1.5 million goal. The organization has benefited from grassroots support—from volunteer gardeners to civic organizations like the Boy Scouts—suggesting that community backing for the garden remains strong.
The stakes extend beyond a single garden plot. The loss of Shared Harvest would mean reduced access to fresh produce for some of Coeur d’Alene’s most economically vulnerable residents and eliminate an outdoor classroom that serves homeschool and special needs groups throughout the region. For residents invested in both food security and community stewardship, the next year will determine whether this North Idaho institution survives or becomes redeveloped residential property.
Those interested in supporting Shared Harvest can attend the Dinner Under the Stars event on August 22 or explore other donation and volunteer opportunities through the garden’s community network.