Community Garden

"Sharing is Caring," a concept realized by all individuals participating in The Neighbors' Place Community Garden program last summer. The garden, 12 acres of land divided into 40' X 40' plots, is donated to The Neighbors' Place by 3M.

More than 300 families benefited from the generosity of this land donation and program on plots laid out by The Golden Kiwanis and tilled by The Hsu's. Each family plants vegetable seeds of their choice, maintains the success of the garden, and harvests the crops for their own consumption.

The program requires that the sharing is passed on. Ten percent of each family's harvest is to be returned to the community. In 2009, 15,000 pounds of produce was donated to the Food Pantry.

Gene Jacobson, garden coordinator, weighs the produce, turned in by each family, and collects them for distribution.

The Neighbors' Place receives produce for their food pantry which is open to everyone in need. On Fridays, however, Gene delivers fresh produce to The Salvation Army for their daily dinners. The Boys & Girls Club, of Wausau, receives cucumbers and peas upon its availability from the gardeners.

Impressively, the sharing goes even further. Two organizations, YWCA and Professional Services Group, benefit from the garden as well. "Buds and Sprouts," a program coordinated by the YWCA, gives young children the opportunity to have hands-on experience in gardening and sharing their harvests. Adolescents participating in a program, coordinated by the Professional Services Group, fulfill their community service by working in the garden.

We couldn't do the garden without the generous help and support from several area organizations. Thanks to the Golden Kiwanis Club for laying out the garden plots each year, to Hsu's Ginseng Enterprises for cultivating the ground, and Swiderski Equipment Inc. for the cultivating equipment.