Stonington Community Garden- Fundraising Effort Success

Garden Photo

We are very excited to announce that thanks to a collaborative effort, we have met our fundraising goal for the Community Garden- Town Hall edition.

Since 2010, over 100 Stonington residents have enjoyed harvesting their own organically-grown produce at the Stonington Human Services community garden. Following input from residents and discussions with the team at Human Services, we saw we had a new opportunity to increase access to sustainable, local food sources.

Plans to expand our Community Garden program to include a second location, with a number of ADA accessible raised beds and walkways, at Stonington Town Hall officially began in August. Since that time, this has been a truly collaborative project, involving Town staff, along with community volunteers and donors. Thanks to our Director of Economic and Community Development, we were able to connect with a local Eagle Scout who is leading a group of volunteers to construct the garden beds and fencing. Our team at the Department of Public Works helped to prepare the site, and we received compost from the Stonington Transfer Station.

Outreach to Sustainable CT began in September, to launch the Town's first crowdfunding effort through the Sustainable CT Community Match Fund. The program offers an opportunity to get a dollar-for-dollar match for sustainability-oriented community projects. Thanks to our 50 community donors, we were able to leverage the matching funds and raise $9,500 for the project. 

Over the coming weeks the garden should be completed by the amazing team of volunteers, led by our local Eagle Scout. Residents interested in learning more or leasing a plot for the year. are invited to reach out to the team at Human Services. 

We are extremely grateful to all those who helped make this vision a reality. The two locations will help more members of our community have improved access to healthy, local produce and help reduce their food costs. Through our team at Human Services we will also continue to offer guidance and educational outreach about four season gardening and sustainable living!