FARMINGTON – Farmington’s future leaders, 22 children ages 2 to 12, and 19 adults volunteered at Hope Harvest Community Garden the week of Aug. 18 to 25. The focus was to expose children to community involvement, the food pantries and gardening. The children were attentive listeners and hard workers.

Two hundred and fifty pounds of produce was harvested, including beets, lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, parsley, basil, beans and swiss chard. Most children harvested the beans and learned the importance of Japanese beetle patrol. Other children helped clean and bag lettuce.

Before the children started harvesting and as they were working they were taught what part of the plants are good to eat. Phoebe Haslam, 3 1/2, repeated her new knowledge to her mother that night as she was eating her dinner.

Two groups of children were able to follow up their harvest with a delivery to the Fairbanks Food Pantry. The children were shown pictures of the garden when it was just a lawn, and explained that it became a productive garden as the result of a community seeing a need, developing a plan and working together. They were told that they were part of a community, just as they were part of a family.

Volunteer Jessie Dalton, 3 1/2, told his mom that he liked helping people.

The garden is open to public volunteers from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays and available to any caregiver who would like to expose children to community involvement.

A youth group that is interested in adopting the garden for a week should call Eileen Liddy at 645-3136, ext. 5113.

The food pantries have been able to distribute the produce from the garden. The usual procedure for visiting the pantry is once a month. To insure that fresh produce makes its way into as many homes as possible, visitors are encouraged to take fresh produce weekly.

Anyone who would like to donate surplus produce can call Western Mountain Community Action at 645-3764, ext. 5287. Income guidelines start at an annual income of $13,965 for a single individual, then add approximately $4,770 per additional person. For more information, call the above number.