Family and supporters of the paramedics working out of Station 268 in Gibsons are hoping to get the community involved in a project for Paramedic Appreciation Week, which wraps up June 3.
The Gibsons station is on North Road beside the fire hall and there’s not much in the way of landscaping, so Brenda Reed, whose husband is the station chief, decided to help them create a garden.
“I thought of doing it as a surprise from the community as a Paramedic Appreciation Garden,” Reed said.
She also said having a garden at the ambulance station would give the crews a nice place to relax between calls, and tending the garden will help relieve stress and boredom. “It’s such a big deal for them to have something to do between calls… It decreases stress and improves mental health and wellness.”
Reed said she started out asking friends if they had extra plants in their home gardens that could be transplanted, but the owners of Sunshine Coast Nursery came forward with an offer to collect cash donations and choose plants that would thrive in that spot.
A plot roughly 15 metres long and 1.5 metres wide (50 ft x 5 ft) has already been prepared and mulched, and Reed said she’s been spreading the word through friends and on social media. She’s even hoping to get someone to craft an appropriate sign for the completed garden.
Sunshine Coast Nursery will be accepting donations at the nursery at 1826 Sunshine Coast Highway in Roberts Creek until June 3.
