St Philip’s community garden offers chance to give back

This article was first published in The Melbourne Anglican on 3 July 2025.

An inner-city church’s ministry is giving men leaving the justice system the chance to give back to the community, learn a trade and connect with nature.

In St Philip’s Collingwood’s community garden, the men build raised garden beds and grow tomatoes, eggplants and other vegetables for a local aged care drop-in centre.

The program is a partnership with the Judy Lazarus Transition Centre and is also designed to give its residents confidence at project management.

St Philip’s vicar the Reverend Bruce Everett said the hospitality ministry acknowledged the men’s humanity, and he hoped gardening would yield positive benefits for their wellbeing.

“We can provide meaningful work for them,” he said. “[We] give them opportunity to get their hands dirty.” 

Garden project manager Peter* became a Christian in prison, and said the initiative was a tangible way for him to add value and give back to the community.

JLTC general manager Tracy Jones said Peter took ownership of the partnership immediately. 

“He drew up what needed to be done, what resources were needed,” Ms Jones said. “It’s got him feeling like…a valued part of society again.” 

Mr Everett said about a dozen people had worked in the garden over the last few months, including Paul*, an ex-horticulturalist. 

“He’s loved just being in the garden and having his own space,” Mr Everett said. 

“He came the first week, he looked like a deer in the headlights, [but he’s] really owned that front area.” 

Joe* was a carpenter who had not worked in the trade for six years, helped build the garden beds.  

Ms Jones said it was important for the men to feel they were giving back to the community but also that they were given different opportunities to develop extra skills. 

She said for a lot of the men prison had been their only community. 

“It’s really important to connect them into some kind of community where they feel valued,” she said. “It gives them a level of self-worth, confidence and self-esteem.” 

*Names have been changed to protect privacy. 

Image: Growing the garden gives the men a tangible way to give back. Picture: Sybil Gazzard

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