NORTH COUNTY — The Lewis River Rotary Club adopted a new project this spring when the North County Community Food Bank put out the call for more fresh produce for clients it serves.
Gardener Terry Potter had been faithfully growing extra produce and donating it to the food bank for 15 years, but age and arthritis had slowed him down. He offered his garden space if there was an individual or group willing to take over for him.
Fortunately, Kathleen Hensch-Fleming — a Master Gardener and member of Lewis River Rotary — saw this as a new opportunity for her club to better serve the North County area.
Lewis River Rotary agreed to take on this garden project and began vegetable starts in March in Hensch-Fleming’s greenhouse.
Planting began in May, and the club has been busy growing, weeding and tending to a wide variety of crops: tomatoes, cabbage, peas, tomatillos, peppers, lettuce, carrots, zucchini, squash and pumpkins.
The 30-by-50-foot garden has multiple raised beds, plus there’s an additional half-acre where four types of squash and pumpkins were grown this year. Potter, the property owner, regularly waters the vegetables for the club.
To date, Rotarians have harvested 595 pounds of fresh produce for the food bank.
“This year, with the economy the way it is, the Rotary food garden has been a tremendous help to our clients,” Executive Director Liz Cerveny said. “It’s very rewarding to see the total pounds of all the work the club has done. Clients are very grateful for fresh produce so they can continue to have healthy, nutritious meals.”
The club will recognize Potter this week at its evening social and present a $2,000 check to the North County Community Food Bank.
