From weeding to watering, Scouts take garden chores seriously
By Catherine Edman Daily Herald Staff Writer

Few would pick it as a favorite summer activity.

Brownie Scout Julia Paul of Des Plaines waters vegetables in the troop's community garden. The Terrace Elementary School troop will donate the harvest to Plant a Row for the Hungry.

Daily Herald Photo/Bob Chwedyk

The girls in Girl Scout Troop 1657 at Terrace Elementary School in Des Plaines, though, are exceptions.

Weeding is exactly the activity the girls chose for their summer this year. They're growing a garden for Plant a Row for the Hungry and they're focusing on weeding right now to make sure it has a bountiful harvest.

The 19 girls in the troop actually started the project last fall by talking about, then deciding, whether this is what they wanted to tackle over the summer.

When spring rolled around, they launched their plan by writing letters to a local nursery, Pesche's in Des Plaines, to see if they might get some help, one of the troop's leader, Brenda Murphy, explained.

Not only were owners at Persche's receptive, they supplied the girls with even more vegetables than they'd expected for their spacious 20-foot by 20-foot plot in the city's community garden. Nothing went to waste.

All 19 girls, plus more than a few adults, gathered for a barn-raising-style planting session this spring, creating rows for vegetables, then plucking the little seedlings into their new homes.

The plot actually looked rather large until it was crawling with two dozen gardeners, Murphy joked.

Each girl, or pair of girls, is taking responsibility for the project during one week this summer. Weeding, watering and harvesting is all part of their job description.

The vast majority of the vegetables are destined for a local food pantry ó the Self Help Closet and Pantry in Des Plaines, which operates out of the Dempster Street Salvation Army building.

That's just one of the many Plant a Row for the Hungry drop-off sites for produce set up across five counties.

Murphy said the girls thought the whole adventure sounded fun, but the adults have admitted ulterior motives, as well. They want the third-graders to see that life is not always equally generous to everyone.

Sometimes it takes other people to help fill in the gaps. "We'll probably talk about that more in the fall," Murphy said, "after they've had a chance to harvest the drops and deliver them." If you have any questions about the program, or drop-off requirements, call our Plant A Row hotline at (847) 806-4277, Northern Illinois Food Bank at (630) 443-6910, or e-mail us at Plantarow@dailyherald.com.

- Catherine Edman