Southcentre Mall expanding rooftop garden after last year’s success

Southcentre Mall's 2023 rooftop garden is shown in a handout photo. (Southcentre/Wild PR)

Southcentre Mall will again have a rooftop garden this summer to help feed Calgary's less fortunate.

The mall created the rooftop garden last year, installing 100 planters and working with urban farming company MicroHabitat.  

This year, officials say there will be 50 more planters in a nod to the mall's 50^th anniversary.

The garden, which is not accessible to the public, will be installed on Wednesday and managed once again by MicroHabitat.

More than 1,000 pounds of fruit, vegetables and herbs will be grown throughout the summer, all of which will be donated to Calgary charity Made by Momma.

The charity is volunteer-driven and offers practical peer-to-peer support for mothers and families facing situations of adversity and crisis.

"At its core, the organization is a food bank, but instead of just providing grocery staples, it prepares and distributes large-batch homemade frozen meals to clients who are facing food insecurity or are unable to cook for their families," explains a Tuesday news release.

"The rooftop garden will act as a sustainable, local solution to help fill an urgent need in the city by providing fresh produce to the Made by Momma kitchens, particularly as food prices continue to soar."

Made by Momma president Allyson Palaschuk says the organization is honoured to once again partner with Southcentre Mall for the garden project.

"With the addition of 50 more planters as a nod to Southcentre’s 50th anniversary this year, we will be able to provide even more Calgarians with access to healthy meals during times of adversity,” she said.