Youth helping the garden grow

Youth groups on the island have been helping the Good Cheer Garden grow! On July 1st, students from the Coupeville High School Summer Program helped harvest peas, carrots, and mixed greens. They hauled alpaca manure and bagged leaf mulch for the compost,and also worked in the food bank and the distribution center.  Our thanks for the whirlwind of activity that helped Good Cheer in many ways! Children from the South Whidbey Children's Center summer program have selected several local non-profits to volunteer at this summer, and they will be coming to the Good Cheer Wednesday garden work parties every other week! Recently they helped with pulling up the peas and harvesting zucchini, and also enjoyed a great picnic, including fresh vegetables and berries from the garden.  We appreciate their ongoing commitment and help! Youth from the Alternatives-to-Detention program of Island County Juvenile Court, supervised by Leon Shordon, have been a steady presence in the garden. First, with the sifting of the beds, and then with planting, weeding, and composting. Our thanks for their ongoing contribution! Check out the green and lush squash hillside... they prepped and planted most of it! Bayview School students from the "Gardening as Science" class taught by Michele Sakaguchi have helped in the garden, planting a spectacular bed filled with delicious and nutritious green, and also weeding and helping with the harvest. They also grew their own vegetable garden at the school, which provided food for the Food Bank.  Kudos! Jorn Aronson's History class at South Whidbey High School helped in the garden with weeding, soil prep, manure hauling and laying out irrigation lines. Their garden work was part of an overall program of volunteer service to all aspects of Good Cheer. The Edmonds Community College Service Learning Program (LEAF) came for a day of service in the garden and the Food Bank. They prepped the soil, planted, and mulched, and also worked in the food bank and the distribution center. A great way to learn, and serve! Coupeville High School student Dan Kostek, and South Whidbey High School student Michaela Mattens did their senior project on composting, and interned with Janet Hall, WSU Waste Wise Coordinator. Dan and Michaela helped put together the garden's composting system- tumblers, 3-bin systems, and worm bins! Now all of Good Cheer's food waste and garden debris can be returned to the garden as compost! And then, way back in February, Angela Lindstrom's Waldorf School Third Grade class, with their families, dug out all the paths and beds in the garden- in just 2 1/2 hours! An amazing feat that helped launch the garden.The next generation is growing the garden, and the garden is helping them grow!