Gallatin Valley Farm to School hosted an Earth Day Work Party Thursday where dozens of volunteers got their hands dirty prepping the garden for summer.
"We haven’t really gathered as a group since last year, and just to have a nice day where the sun's out to start thinking about summer and things actually growing out of the ground again that’s now exposed feels really good," Gallatin Valley Farm to School Board Chair Dalton McCurdy said.
“I don’t have my gardens that I used to have, so it’s so lovely to be part of a community effort and just to volunteer and to give back to the community," volunteer Katy Smith added.
From pulling weeds to painting stakes, each task played a part in preparing the space for the non-profit’s summer camp programs, which start in June.
“Our summer camps are kind of an expansion from our school programs, so they’re just opportunities for kids at all kinds of age levels to learn about where their food comes from and how to prepare healthy food on their own," McCurdy explained.
Thursday’s work party also benefited the Gallatin Valley Food Bank, which uses the garden to source some of their fresh produce and support the local community.
"This is an opportunity for all of the volunteers to get involved," McCurdy added. "That’s part of our mission is just to allow kids and families to, one, understand where their food is coming from, but also just create connections, and so it’s cool thinking about taking some time now to prep these gardens and being able to share that food in the community later.”
Gallatin Valley Farm to School will be looking for more helping hands in the coming weeks as the non-profit prepares for their Give Big Gallatin Valley fundraiser set for May 6 and 7.
