Groups of volunteers from Wegmans are helping to plant and maintain a garden of vegetables, fruits, and flowers at Hillside Children’s Center’s Lehigh group home again this spring and summer. Wegmans provided an early start to the 2010 gardening season by donating a rototiller and $500 for seeds and supplies. An initial group of volunteers prepared the garden and greenhouse during the United Way Day of Caring in May. For the next several months, volunteers from different Wegmans stores and departments are spending several hours every Thursday afternoon helping Hillside Recreation Therapist John Holtz and Lehigh youth to weed, maintain the garden, and harvest the crops. Some of the produce will be sold at Lehigh’s roadside stand over the summer. The Lehigh youth will also enjoy the fruits and veggies as part of their daily menu.

Hillside Volunteer Coordinator Heather VanDyne expects 75 to 100 individuals to participate throughout the 21-week program and she is very grateful for their support. “The kids love to have visitors, to see new faces, and meet new people, so it’s great for them,” she says. “It’s nice for the kids to be able to interact with the volunteers. They love to share what they’ve learned with each new group.” Heather feels that Hillside staff has also benefited from the knowledge the Wegmans volunteers bring to the project. “We get to meet so many new people,” she says. “Each group brings different gardening skills, so we learn a lot over the course of the growing season.”

You can follow the progress of the Lehigh garden all summer long. Each week we’ll post new photos of the volunteers at work and the fruits of their labors. Look for links to the latest photos on our web site and on Facebook.