A new ministry that focuses on distributing fresh vegetables and organic fish from a local aquaponics farm will hold a ribbon cutting next week.
Living Waters Harvest, a ministry of Wekiwa Springs Baptist Church of Apopka, will have its ribbon cutting ceremony on Saturday, December 5, beginning at 11 a.m. at 2200 Haas Road, Apopka, site of the aquaponics farm.
Living Waters Harvest is the creation of husband and wife John and Ginny Iafrate, 14-year members of Wekiwa Springs Baptist Church and the owners of Hilltop Farm, where the Living Waters Harvest aquaponics farm is located.
The new ministry stemmed from John Iafrate’s idea of bringing churches together to supply food and nourishment and spiritual needs to those in need in the Apopka area. With help from fellow congregation members, John started constructing the aquaponics farm in August 2019 and completed it four months later.
The result is a 3,500 square-foot facility equipped with six, 650-gallon water tanks that are home to more than 900 tilapia and six grow-beds for vegetables that are 55 foot long and four foot wide each. All of the grow-beds collectively have 8,000 spots where seeds for a variety of crops are planted. The aquaponics system is housed under a roof, with two air conditioners and two heaters for climate control.
The church planned to host a ribbon cutting earlier this year but postponed it when the coronavirus pandemic started.
The event will include lunch featuring a taste test of the crops and tilapia raised in the aquaponics facility, bluegrass music, children’s activities, including a petting zoo with many animals that live on the property, and tours of the aquaponics facility.
Bringing a chair or a blanket is recommended for sitting. Masks and social distancing are requested for the event.
This story appears in full beginning on page 1A of the Friday, November 27, issue of The Apopka Chief.
The Apopka Chief and The Planter are independently-owned and family-operated newspapers that have served the Apopka area since 1923 and 1965, respectively. The Apopka Chief is a subscription-based publication that is delivered each Friday by U.S. Mail, and The Planter is a free publication that is published each Thursday.
