This story was contributed by Martha Walker, retired newspaper and United Press International wire service reporter who also worked 22 years in corporate communications and market research. About $5 worth of seeds, the sweat equity of a Missouri couple and two grandchildren, plus a network of volunteers and caring organizations have fed the Kansas City […]
KCCG Volunteer Spotlight – Roger Shelton Harvests & Donates 16,838 Green Beans
KCCG would not be nearly as successful or productive without the help of volunteers. In 2017, 386 volunteers put in 2387 hours this year, which helped KCCG save approximately $19,000 – $23,000 in labor costs. One of these volunteers is Roger Shelton, who does more than just volunteer. Shelton, an avid gardener, also donates his […]
Grandview High School Students Seek Healthy Alternatives
Last May and September, Grandview High School health students visited the Beanstalk Children’s Garden to learn more about the nutritional benefits of growing a garden. They were so inspired by their visit that they decided to explore healthy alternatives for food at their own school. Ms. Dolinar, health teacher at Grandview High School, invited the […]
Grace At Work – Volunteers Build Memorial Garden
The Country Club Christian Church holds a semi-annual all-church volunteer day called “Grace at Work” (GAW) and at a recent GAW day, volunteers helped construct a community garden at Grace United Community Ministries to honor the late Reverend Sharon Garfield, who passed away in 2014 from ovarian cancer. From the GUCM website: “Reverend Sharon Garfield, was the founding Executive […]
Benefits of Raised Bed Gardening
Raised beds are becoming more and more common in personal and community gardens everywhere, and for good reason. Raised beds provide ideal growing conditions because they drain better than ground plots, they’re easy to fill with good soil, and they warm up quickly. Raised beds also create an infrastructure that promotes gardening because they provide […]
Lone Elm Community Garden Celebrates 6,000 lbs of Produce at Harvest Party
On Saturday, October 7th, the Lone Elm Community Garden hosted their 4th annual Harvest Party to celebrate the 6,000 lbs of produce they grew at their donated plot of land at Christ Community Church in Olathe, Kansas. Although it had a festival atmosphere with face painting, bounce houses, scavenger hunts, and hayrides, it was more […]
Bringing The Garden Into The Classroom
After weeks of tending the gardens, preschool students are starting to enjoy the fruits of their labor. Recently, I stopped by a few schools to see different ways teachers are incorporating the garden into their lessons for the day. Ms. Hamme’s classroom at St Joseph Catholic school learned about a popular Mexican snack their teacher […]
New Therapeutic Garden Construction at Swope Park Health Services
In the spring of 2011, Swope Park Health Services decided to build 6 raised beds to plant a garden to be cared for by patients in the behavioral health day program, which treats disorders such as anxiety, depression, bi-polar disorder, grief, and post-traumatic stress to name a few. Studies have shown that gardening can help […]
Community Partner Gardens Helps Faubion UMC Garden Flourish
Six years ago, Tom Clayton started a straw bale garden in a neighbor’s yard but due to lack of sunshine, it wasn’t an ideal location. Three years later, Clayton decided to move the garden to his church, the Faubion United Methodist Church in Gladstone, MO, which provided better sunshine but still had room to improve. […]
Schoolyard Gardens Welcomes Josh!
Hello to all the friends of Schoolyard Gardens! My name is Josh Ellermann, and I will be serving as the Schoolyard Gardens Assistant for Kansas City Community Gardens from August 2017- July 2018. Having spent just three days on staff, I have been thoroughly inspired by the impact KCCG makes in Kansas City and am […]