Calgary gardener grows food for charity
A Calgarian with a green thumb spends his downtime growing food for his family, friends and the community at large.
Faraz Raza loves to spend his free time in the garden, “It’s just my passion, my hobby," he said, in a Monday interview with CTV News.
Fortunately for his family and friends, he also likes to share what he grows. “The other thing is I like to give something to the environment," he said, "and I like to give something to the people and the City of Calgary as well.
Raza grows dozens of tomatoes, a few different types of raspberries and cherries as well as leafy greens, onions, hot peppers and more. He works full time at a large telecom company and for Raza the garden is a sort of escape from that hectic work. “The biggest advantage with this is, like you know, it just relaxes you so much, takes up a lot of stress from you, takes up a lot of depression and all those things which you see, which is very common nowadays," he said.
Faraz Raza
Last year Raza produced around 63 kilos (140 lbs.) of tomatoes, most of them in a portion of his garage that's been outfitted with special grow lights. He also makes his own fertilizers and makes sure that everything he grows is free of toxic chemicals and pesticides. “I want to serve my community. I want to serve you know, the people who are looking for it," he said.
Besides his numerous donations of garden-grown produce to the local food bank and other community services, Raza is also keen to grow other people's interest in home gardening. He’s recruited his son as well as a nephew and a few friends to help him in the garden.
“I'm encouraging these two boys to get into this and I want everyone to get into this because this is so much fun.” Raza continues. “I try my level best to encourage and convince people to get into this. It's not a very easy thing to go with. You need a lot of effort, time and consistency.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Alice Munro, Nobel literature winner revered as short story master, dead at 92
Nobel laureate Alice Munro, the Canadian literary giant who became one of the world's most esteemed contemporary authors and one of history's most honoured short story writers, has died at age 92.
Latest updates on air quality alerts, and when the smoke may reach Ontario and Quebec
Wildfires have led Environment Canada to issue air quality advisories for parts of B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, as forecasters warn the smoke could drift farther east.
Are these Canada's best restaurants? Annual top 100 list revealed
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
Attack on prison van in France kills 2 officers, inmate escapes
Armed assailants killed two French prison officers and seriously wounded three others in an attack on a convoy in Normandy on Tuesday and an inmate escaped, officials said.
Maximum payout for LifeLabs class-action drops from $150 estimate to $7.86
Canadian LifeLabs customers who filed an application for a class-action settlement began receiving their payments this week, though at a much lower amount than initially expected.
Steal a car, lose your driver's licence for 10 years under new Ontario proposal
Repeat car thieves may face lengthy licence bans under proposed changes to Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act.
$1.6B parts plant for Honda electric vehicle batteries coming to Niagara Region
A Japanese company has announced it will build an approximately $1.6-billion plant in Ontario's Niagara Region that will make a key electric vehicle battery component as part of Honda's supply chain in the province.
B.C. brings in law on name changes on day that child killer's new identity revealed
The BC NDP have tabled legislation aimed at stopping people who have committed certain heinous acts from changing their names.
Manitoba premier to visit areas impacted by wildfire
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew will get a close-up look at the devastation from a large wildfire burning in northern Manitoba Tuesday.