ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) – A 32-bed organic vegetable garden blooms just outside the Rock River Valley Food Pantry. Among the fresh produce, you’ll find master gardener Barbara Flores, and her husband Frank.
The Garden is open Monday through Friday.(WIFR)
It’s hard to imagine just 14 years ago the lush vegetation was nothing more than a dusty parking lot with the potential to become something more, if someone just had the right motivation.
For Barbara, it was the need to provide healthy, fresh options to those in need of food assistance.
The Garden is open Monday through Friday.(WIFR)
“We set out green onions, little onions sets, very tedious to set out, but people love them,” Barbara said. “We had seven rows of spinach along the building, which we started in December.”
The garden adds to the pantry’s everyday staples by supplying fresh organic produce, including green beans, tomatoes, cucumbers and more. Barbara says in one season, they shared 1,800 pounds of fresh goods with people in need.
However, maintaining the garden is no small challenge; it takes a whole band of volunteers.
Volunteer Abigail Kessen says she developed a green thumb at a young age.
The gardens adds to the pantry’s everyday goods by supplying fresh organic produce to those in need of food assistance.(WIFR)
“It has, like a sense of community that I’ve never really felt before,” Abigail said. “Hearing people’s stories, it’s wonderful, and I’ve learned so much of the garden from Barbara and other gardeners and even clients as well. Teach me things.”
The Pantry Garden is open from 1-3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Clients can choose from pre-picked bundles or stroll through the garden and make their own selections.
Along the way, Barbara says she helps clients develop a green thumb of their own through the basics of gardening. In return, she says they share with her a piece of their world.
The gardens adds to the pantry’s everyday goods by supplying fresh organic produce to those in need of food assistance.(WIFR)
“I like to learn all the time and I like to share what I know and folks who come out here, share what they know also,” Barbara said.
The Rock River Valley Pantry relies on the generosity of donors and volunteers. To donate, volunteer, or learn more visit the pantry’s website here.
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