Community Garden to Benefit Food Pantry

High School students from the Transitions For Success program along with volunteers will be tending to a community garden this spring and summer that will benefit the Coventry Food Pantry.

Social Worker Supervisor Bob Robillard and Community Garden Coordinator Gail Tatangelo will oversee the process from the planting stages through the harvest.

The students are already hard at work planting seeds in temporary pots made of newspaper before they spray them with Chamomile tea to stop root rot and transfer them to cow pots once the plants are three inches high. 

Not only are they helping their community but they are also learning lessons that they can take with them throughout their lifetimes.

"The kids have a ball doing this," said Tatangelo.

A vast array of vegetables will be planted out side of the Town Hall Annex on Flat River Road including (but certainly not limited to) string beans, broccoli, eggplant, beets, various squashes, Yukon Gold potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions and carrots.

Tatangelo explained that the seeds for these plants were donated by Comstock Ferre & Co. of Wethersfield, CT who also invited the students to attend their 200-year anniversary celebration in June.

The young plants will be transferred to the garden on June 5 starting at 9 a.m. and volunteers are urged to attend. There will also be a hotdog roast later on in the day for volunteers.

"Anyone from the town who wants to come and see what we're doing and help out is more than welcome," said Tatangelo

Last year volunteers harvested 1,102 pounds of food and this year's goal is even higher at 1,200 to 1,500 pounds.

"We are doing this to help our neighbors, friends and family who are in dire need at this point," said Tatangelo.

For volunteer information contact Gail Tatangelo at gail660@verizon.net or at 397-3896.