With Spring just around the corner, eleven volunteers joined together to get the “Giving Garden” located at Booker T. Washington National Monument ready for early spring planting. Their work involved cleaning out the 44 raised beds and adding peat moss, compost manure, and top soil to the plots.
The “Giving Garden”, a part of the Rotary Club of Smith Mountain Lake’s Tackling Hunger and Nutrition Project, is designed to provide fresh organic produce to the local food pantry at Lake Christian Ministries. Now in its sixth year, the project is a collaborative partnership with the Rotary Club of Smith Mountain Lake, the Booker T. Washington National Monument, the Franklin County Master Gardeners, Hot Shots Entertainment Center and includes dedicated volunteers from the local Democratic Club and community in general.
The “Giving Garden” uses principles of Square Foot Gardening to maximize the amount of produce grown in the equivalent of forty-four 4 foot x 8 foot raised beds. Thanks to the many hours put in by dedicated volunteers, a yearly average of 2000 pounds of produce has been sent to the food pantry in the past three years.
Another part of the Tackling Hunger and Nutrition Project, referred to as “Plant A Row”, encourages community residents with family gardens or farms to grow an extra row vegetable and/or fruit that can be donated to the food pantry to help those in need. Extra produce can be dropped off at Hot Shots Entertainment Center located at 13360 Booker T. Washington Highway (near Capps) during business hours or at Lake Christian Ministries in Moneta on Monday, Wednesday or Friday mornings.
Those interested in learning more about square foot gardening and the Giving Garden, the “Plant A Row” program, or in joining the team of dedicated volunteers are encouraged to contact De English at 483-0123.
Photo Caption: Picture from left to right – back row: Shirley Sorrentino, Helen Short, Alma Mathis, Christian Piatt, Dave English, Jim Mann; front row: Jim Laseter, Bill Piatt, De English, Beth Pautler, Anneliese Piatt
