Residents at the Brookdale Resource Center are seeing a positive change in their daily meals thanks to the Gardens behind the Center. The Gardens at Brookdale have already produced about 1,100 pounds of fruits, vegetables, and herbs.

The first seeds were planted in April and thanks to lots of rain, sunshine, and care from our volunteers, we’re seeing a great harvest and residents are getting healthy meals.

“It’s really fun to see their faces when they realize the vegetables in their meals came straight from the gardens behind the Center,” said Brookdale Resource Director Alison Bender. “We want to show them it’s possible to eat healthy and grow your own food.”

So far, they’ve had blueberries, cucumbers, green beans, herbs, lettuce, peppers, squash, strawberries, and tomatoes straight from the gardens. Gardens Manager Susan Fisher is excited to see the rest of the crops grow more.

“We’re staying busy, especially after all of the rain we just had,” said Fisher. “It makes me so happy to see what has become and I know this is just the beginning.”

Fisher is in the process of hiring a new part-time co-worker to help her with the gardens. They will also be responsible for communicating with the Brookdale kitchen about what is needed and how they could better serve the residents fresh food.

The Gardens are always in need of volunteers. If you would like to volunteer, there are opportunities every Tuesday and Thursday from 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. You can sign up and learn more by clicking here.