By paNOW Staff

Jessy’s Garden feeds thousands this year

Oct 11, 2013 | 12:23 PM

It was a year of road blocks, but also a year of firsts for Bonny and Mel Sanderson’s community garden.

It was the first year they held a fundraiser for the non-profit garden that the couple planted in memory of 21-year-old daughter Jessy, who died in 2008. They were raising money for a garden tractor.

It was also the first year the garden suffered from vandalism. While seeing the smashed vegetables wasn’t great for morale there was a positive result, said Bonny.

“It increased the media attention, which in turn made the community more aware of the garden than what we do here. I do believe in turn, with the media’s help, we were able to reach more families to help feed them or reduce their food costs this year.”

To be exact, 3,872 meals came out of the garden this year. Bonny explained that when people picked up garden-fresh produce they signed in and wrote how many people would be fed by that pick-up.

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The showing of volunteers this year was strong with about 46 people helping out with harvest, she said.

Overall, 27,061 pounds of food were grown out of Jessy’s Garden.

Next year the garden’s harvest should rake in even more produce.

The Sandersons are looking to have 10 acres total of land for next year. There will be a variety of different crops spread out in that space.

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