Gardeners Donate Crops to Loaves & Fishes

Each fall as the gardening season winds down at the , park staff prepares the plots for winter. This year, master gardeners Ron Ory and Logan Wasson developed the idea to walk through the plots before they were tilled to glean any vegetables left behind and to donate the vegetables to .

On October 17, a group of volunteer gardeners walked the Garden Plots to gather vegetables that had been left within plots after they had closed for the season on October 16. The “gleaning” of the Garden Plots yielded nearly 160 pounds of vegetables. Varieties included carrots, kale, tomatoes, pumpkins, spaghetti squash, zucchini, gourds, parsley, rosemary, green beans, green peppers, purple peppers, hot peppers, beets, red cabbage, green cabbage and onions.

“This successful project is another example of the generosity of our gardeners and volunteers,” said Park District Director of Recreation Brad Wilson. “We plan to make this an annual event,” he said.

In addition to the produce collected at the end of the season, vegetables were donated regularly throughout the growing season.  The Master Gardeners maintained four plots dedicated to food donations, which yielded approximately 1,100 pounds of vegetables this year.  Other gardeners also donated vegetables using a donation station that was set up at the plots. 

“Loaves & Fishes appreciates the efforts of the Naperville Park District gardeners,” said Community Relations Director Jody Bender.  “Providing healthy fare, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, to the families who rely us for their groceries is very important to us. The Naperville Park District is a valued partner in connecting families to food, and we are grateful for their thoughtfulness.” 

For questions about the Naperville Park District and its programs and facilities, please contact the Naperville Park District at 630-848-5000 or visitwww.napervilleparks.org.