The Portage County Master Gardener Volunteers (PCMGV) recently disbursed $1,500 to the Portage County Boys & Girls Club of Portage County’s Green Thumb gardening program and $1,500 to the Hunger and Poverty Prevention Partnership of Portage County’s Giving Gardens Program.

The proceeds were from the 19th annual Garden Parade and the Quilt and Garden Container Raffles held in July.

The Boys & Girls Club’s Green Thumb gardening program has been active for more than 10 years and has five active gardens. Club members are able to work with University of Wisconsin-Extension volunteers and club health and life skills specialists to tend to the garden two days a week for at least one hour each day.

With the garden located directly behind the Plover site, club members have been able to tend the garden two days a week for at least one hour each day. The activities in the garden vary between planting, fertilizing, watering, weeding and eventually harvesting the fruits (or vegetables) of their labor. The Club’s Green Thumb program is designed to help members learn gardening skills, to enjoy working in the garden and to teach Club members life skills about eating healthy.

The mission of the Master Gardeners is to help educate the public about gardening and natural resources.  Katie Rettler and Carole Jansing, event co-chairs, said “what better way to educate the public about gardening than through the children.”

The Master Gardeners also organized a YMCA Garden, building 18 beds to date, working with children nurturing the vegetables and also giving recipes to the families for preparing the fresh produce which they take home.

“We have to give them ideas and recipes as to how to fix the vegetables.  We are also concerned about children learning about eating nutritionally,” said Lynn Caine, project chair.