A Man’s Dream of ‘Giving Back’ Takes Root
During his morning workouts at the YMCA in Newport Beach, Bruce Royer used to let his mind wander.
He thought about the lazy summer days on his great-grandfather’s orchard in Orange more than 30 years ago. He reflected on what seemed to have been a simpler time in Orange County, when land was used to grow food, when people had time to tend to gardens, and their neighbors too.
One day Royer decided to put the daydreams aside, roll up his sleeves and make an effort to get back to those simpler times -- even if it came in the form of a small sliver of land at the Y, next to the volleyball pits.
Royer asked the Central Orange Coast YMCA if he could develop an organic garden on the land, bring in children to cultivate the crops and give most of the food to the poor, saving maybe a bit of broccoli now and again to saute for himself.
If only Royer had known the first thing about gardening.
But he didn’t let that slow down his dreams. He threw himself into the work, hauling away dead brush and leaves. He checked out books from the library and learned the basics.
“I wanted to give back, to give of myself, and I wanted to learn about organic gardening,” said Royer, a 45-year-old photo book publisher. “I started doing this myself, and I kept going and going.”
Despite his lack of gardening prowess and his still-evolving dreams, Royer said, he was driven by a the simple desire of giving.
He called businesses and leaned on them for help. His efforts paid off. They donated fencing, railroad ties, wood chips and fertilizer, as well as the free use of rented equipment to level the land.
Still, one man can do only so much. And Royer might still be out on the field had Men’s Divisions International, a nonprofit organization dedicated to teaching values, not come to his aid. The group, which had been seeking a community project to take on, dispatched 60 members to help Royer prepare the land for the growing season.
“I would probably still be out here working if it weren’t for them,” said Royer.
“Bruce pitched the idea to me. We loved it,” said Adam Russo, community service manager for the group. “The big thing to us was that it would have an impact on kids who think vegetables come from the grocery store. It was a lot of work, but it brought us a great sense of accomplishment.”
About a month ago, Royer looked out past the grassy field and the sand volleyball court and declared that he was pretty much done.
There were eight raised gardening plots lined by railroad ties, with wood chips carefully surrounding them.
In all, the garden was the size of a small backyard. Not too big but certainly big enough to provide an urban farming experience for young people and -- with any luck -- a harvest that might put a few meals on the table.
Excitedly, Royer planted strawberries, cauliflower, spinach, parsnips and carrots. Other vegetables, as well as blackberries and raspberries, will come in the summer.
“I have felt really good doing this project and being close to the earth,” said Royer. “It’s a neat thing to grow your own food. You are outside and you don’t have all the pesticides and chemicals used in the food we buy at the store. I feel this is a way to get in control.”
After the planting, Royer went to the YMCA day after day and ran out to the garden, staring and staring at the dirt for signs of life.
Recently he saw some green fuzz poking through dirt.
“That’s it!” he cried.
It was a moment of victory for Royer, who -- with the first sign of a crop to come -- is rushing to round up the team of young farmers he hopes will watch over the harvest and find a way to distribute the food to those who need it.
He has called local school districts, the Boy Scouts and several local private schools. But there’s red tape to cut in each case, so -- except for one Scout who showed up one day to help -- Royer has been on his own. He is confident, though, that help will eventually arrive, as will the hungry mouths.
Central Orange Coast YMCA Executive Director Jon Voget said it is possible that children involved in Y programs will work in the garden in the near future. He is unaware of other YMCAs with community gardens.
“We are really here to try to promote community opportunity,” Voget said. “We wanted to open the garden to anyone in the community who is interested. A lot of it now is getting the word out.”
Royer has faith that the effort will pay dividends.
“When I die,” he said, “I would like to see that I did something to give instead of to take.”
