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Waverly community garden enters 15th season; volunteers, ISU Extension report 4,000 pounds donated
Summary
Iowa State Extension coordinator Ron Lent told the council the Waverly Community Sharing Garden has produced 4,000 pounds of produce since it began, donated to the Northeast Iowa Food Bank and the Waverly Food Pantry; volunteer nights and a planning day schedule were announced.
WAVERLY, Iowa — The Waverly Community Sharing Garden is entering its 15th growing season, and Iowa State University Extension coordinator Ron Lent thanked the city and volunteers for land, water and other support during a study-session presentation on April 27.
“Since it started in those first 14 years, this project has produced 4,000 pounds of food,” Lent said. He said all produce is donated to the Northeast Iowa Food Bank or the Waverly Food Pantry (this year at Heritage United Church). Lent told the council the Iowa Food Bank estimates roughly three meals per pound of produce; using that estimate, 4,000 pounds translates to approximately 12,000 meals provided from land that otherwise would likely have been mowed.
Lent said the garden operates without a direct city dollar contribution: the city provides land, water, mulch and mowing; volunteers handle planting, harvesting and delivery; and local partners such as the Waverly Exchange Club and individual volunteers contribute labor and materials. He also said he will manage a new plot at the National Research Farm near Nashua (about a mile west and a half mile south) this season, which adds about 5,000 square feet of production.
Volunteer planning day is scheduled for the second Saturday in May; regular volunteer nights are Tuesdays from 6 to 8 p.m. and Saturday mornings 8 to 10 a.m. Lent closed by thanking the city’s staff (naming Paul Chabile) and the volunteer corps for their support.
