Above / The fifth year of gleaning yields success for Loaves and Fishes with 1,300 pounds of produce at the Ron Ory Community Garden Plots. (Photo courtesy Sue Omanson)
On Tuesday, Oct. 13, a group of 71 Naperville Park District volunteers gathered up the leftovers of the 2015 gardening season at the Ron Ory Community Garden Plots on West Street in Naperville.
The gleaning yielded 1,300 pounds of nutritious vegetables that were donated to Loaves & Fishes Community Services to provide healthy choices for area families who are receiving food through the service.
Above / During a recent harvest of leftovers, pumpkin, winter squash, carrots and leafy vegetables were gleaned and donated to Loaves & Fishes. (Photo courtesy Sue Omanson)
Volunteers of all ages worked together, including Metea Valley Vocational students, Molex employees, Garden Plot Ambassadors, Master Gardeners from the University of Illinois Extension and Naperville Community Gardeners, other gardeners, students from the Western DuPage Special Recreation Association (WDSRA) program that meets at Sportsman’s Clubhouse, and students from Fox Valley Vocational.
Master Gardeners Ron Ory and Logan Wasson developed the idea to glean vegetables at the Garden Plots in 2011, when the first group of volunteers gathered 160 pounds of vegetables. The master gardeners maintain their own garden plots, called “Plant a Row,” dedicated to providing produce for Loaves & Fishes all summer long.
Other gardeners donate vegetables as well, using a donation station set up at the plots during the gardening season.
The 2015 yield from “Plant a Row” and donations from other gardeners throughout the season was 1,395 pounds. The total amount of fresh vegetables donated to Loaves & Fishes, along with the Oct. 13 gleaning, was 2,695 pounds.
Above / Earlier this spring, the garden plots along West Street were named in honor of Master Gardener Ron Ory, who served for 20 years on the Naperville Park District Board of Commissioners. (PN Photo)
Editor’s Note: We can’t resist adding that these photos have been cropped to create awareness for a good cause.
