DCSC HAWK Gardens to host Tuesday planting session to help feed the hungry; volunteers welcome
Lindsay Doty
Danville Community School Corporation’s HAWK Outdoor Lab and Gardens is ready to plant some veggies with the help of volunteers.
The Gardens, located beside Danville Community Middle School, serve as a learning tool for students while helping the hungry in Hendricks County.
Since it’s considered an essential service that can reopen under Indiana’s Back on Track plan, HAWK Gardens will host its first group planting session this week since the COVID-19 closures.
“I am ecstatic. Most things are canceled for the summer due to COVID-19, but serving our community through the HAWK Gardens is not,” said HAWK Gardens organizer Laura Crosby, an agricultural teacher at Danville Middle School.
Volunteers from the community are invited to help install three new raised garden beds for a mix of vegetables, including tomatoes, green beans, zucchini, carrots, and cucumbers. All the food planted will be eventually donated to pantries in Hendricks County.
“Most aspects of the HAWK Outdoor Lab and Gardens are for Danville students only, but we encourage the community to assist in tending the garden throughout the summer,” said Crosby.
According to the Hendricks County Food Pantry Coalition, more than 14,290 neighbors are food insecure and more than 5,000 children in Hendricks County don’t know where their next meal will come from.
To help, HAWK Gardens also encourage programs like the Grow A Row campaign, where home gardeners can help by planting an extra row to donate.
“My hope is that this garden can help reduce those numbers while encouraging community members to serve their neighbors,” said Crosby.
For the morning planting session, volunteers are asked to wear face coverings but it is not required. People will be spaced apart in the garden to follow social distancing guidelines. The planting session is free. Follow HAWK Outdoor Lab on Facebook and Instagram to stay up-to-date on ongoing opportunities in the garden. There will be a Garden Sign-Up for helping throughout the summer on our social media pages.
Planting at DCSC HAWK Gardens
9:30-11:30 a.m.
Tuesday, June 2
Danville Community Middle School, HAWK GARDEN
To sign up, use the link. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B094FA5AD23A1FC1-hawk
