Voorheesville school and community garden is blooming

In the spirit of Earth Day, Garden Project Committee unveils Blackbird Paradise

May 20, 2009—To the delight of parents, students and community members, not to mention Voorheesville Garden Project Committee members, Blackbird Paradise was unveiled on Earth Day—April 22, 2009.

Fifth-grader Tommy Gallager cut the ceremonious ribbon that encircled the school and community garden for coming up with the winning name in a schoolwide contest. The school district's mascot is a blackbird.

The momentous day was the culmination of months of hard work, planning, fundraising and support from the entire community.

“Thanks to the support of so many people in our community, we were able to accomplish our goal of building a beautiful, easy-to-use and productive garden in record-time,” said Bri McAlevey, who is co-chair of the committee that formed earlier this school year.

The garden will tie in to the academic curriculum, and is expected to help foster healthy eating habits, promote environmental awareness, enhance learning and help students understand social responsibility. As part of the project, vegetables and produce grown in the garden will be donated to a local food pantry and even the school cafeterias.

The group was able to break ground just two months after fundraising began because of the overwhelming amount of support. Additionally, Elemental Landscapes Inc. graciously donated their expertise and services to construct the 32 by 68 foot garden.

Volunteers sought for summer and fall

Volunteers are needed to help water, weed, harvest and prepare vegetables for delivery during the summer and fall. No gardening experience is necessary. However, please indicate if you would prefer to work alongside a master gardener or more experienced gardener.

To sign-up, contact the Garden Committee at vvillegarden@gmail.com. Please e-mail your name, phone number and when (specific days or weeks and times) you'd like to volunteer. Once you have been scheduled, the Garden Committee will confirm the date and time(s) with you and send a reminder as the date approaches. It's that simple!

Thanks for helping the garden grow and providing a valuable service to your community.   

For more information, visit the garden section of the district Web site.