Ryan Ottney | Daily Times
New Boston Elementary School students plant seeds in part of a community vegetable garden at Millbrook Park on Friday.
By RYAN SCOTT OTTNEY
PDT Staff Writer
NEW BOSTON — With the end of the school year just days away, students from Oak Intermediate School in New Boston took a field trip to nearby Millbrook Park on Friday to help plant a community vegetable garden.
Located behind the high school baseball field, the land for the garden was donated to Potter’s House Ministries by the village of New Boston. The ministry was at the garden until very late Thursday night, plowing and tilling the land to get it ready for 150 students from Oak School, grades 4-6, in New Boston.
“We’re bringing them in by class, and they’re planting vegetables to harvest hopefully when they come back to school in August,” said Jodi Stanley, of Potter’s House.
The kids each lined up along the garden, dropping tiny seeds that will very soon grow into green beans, corn, radishes, carrots, peas, onions, tomatoes and more. Stanley said the village might also donate a small fence to protect the garden from being trampled during the summer.
“We’re hoping to get some of the kids to volunteer through the summer school. There will be a few in there that will come down each week. We’re going to keep it all maintained,” she said.
When students return to harvest their vegetables in the fall, much of the food will be donated to local pantries. The kids also will get to take a little home for themselves. Stanley said it teaches the children an important lesson about giving back to their community.
“And giving them the opportunity to grow their own food, to see what it’s like. It actually has to come from somewhere, and hopefully this gives them a lesson in that,” she said.
Potter’s House Ministry, in Sciotoville, is a faith-based, non-profit food pantry associated with the Sciotoville Church of the Nazarene. More information about Potter’s House can be found at www.jesusthenazarene.com.
Ryan Scott Ottney can be reached at 740-353-3101, ext. 235, or rottney@heartlandpublications.com.
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