Northwest Compass to open its community garden

Northwest Compass, Inc., is thankful to have been awarded a $22,000 grant from the Mainstreet Organization of Realtors, with extensive support from Baird & Warner Northwest Suburban, to install a public community garden.

Special thanks to Navraaz Basati of the University of Illinois Extension, who consulted on the garden design and grant application. The garden will be located at the Northeast corner of the Northwest Compass' office building, 1300 W. Northwest Hwy. in Mount Prospect.

Staff and volunteers have been busy planning for and constructing what will be a community garden titled "Living and Giving," which will serve the community at large as well as clients of Northwest Compass. The project is spearheaded by Northwest Compass volunteers Lew and Sheila Coffin and Patricia Joyce.

Northwest Compass is grateful for the volunteers from Baird & Warner, Arlington Heights Garden Club, and Mount Prospect village Trustee Vince Dante, who have all joined together to participate in helping make this project a reality.

Generous support and donations were received from Sherwin Ace Hardware, Home Depot, Lurvey Home and Garden and Pesche's Flower & Garden Center, and the Mulch Center.

The new space will include a vegetable garden with a demonstration space for educational opportunities, container gardens, a cut flower garden, water features, including a toad house and pond, accessible pathways and benches for public access, native plants, a bee pollinator garden, bird feeders and bird houses, among others.

The grant will also cover a much-needed shed for materials storage, a composting station and rain barrel. The intent and hope are that the garden will serve as a respite for community members and provide educational opportunities about growing food and cultivating a garden for the public.

Northwest Compass will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 1 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15. The community is invited to attend.

Register for the event at www.eventbrite.com/e/garden-grand-opening-tickets-704611611297?aff=oddtdtcreator.

The mission at Northwest Compass Inc., is to enhance the community by providing emergency services, education and empowerment that foster personal responsibility for those who are vulnerable or in crisis.

For more information, visit northwestcompass.org.