HAMILTON — In preparation for Earth Day, volunteers from Trapper Creek Job Corps are helping spruce up the Hamilton Community Garden.
"It was a weed patch, and it really took a lot of sweat equity to make this usable again," said Warren Neyenhuis, a Hamilton Community Garden volunteer.
In 2006, with help from local organizations, the Hamilton Community Garden was established behind Daly Elementary School.
"I love to be working out in my garden plot, and I will hear when the kids come out the door at the school, and they're walking across the soccer fields and shouting and just free," Neyenhuis said.
Since then, with support from Ravalli County’s Farm to School program, the garden has been offered as an outdoor option for classes.
"I do a lot of craft stuff with it. We'll use marigolds to make dyes. My kids took the sunflowers and we saved the seeds for Mother's Day. And then Keystone uses it. And they also use it for cooking," said Rachel Root, a teacher at Daly Elementary School.
The garden grows and donates crops to the Haven House Food Bank.
Community members can rent a plot for $30 a year.
"The southern part of the third is for people to have their own 15-by-15-foot plot to grow whatever vegetables they wish," Neyenhuis said.
On April 20, Trapper Creek Job Corps volunteers came from Darby to spend the day preparing the garden for planting and school use.
"It's meant to help people and teens get into the workforce. You can go in there and get your certifications and whatnot," said Trapper Creek Job Corps volunteer Shalynn Coleman. "I like being able to help out with the community."
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"I was a 30-year employee at the job core, so it's always a delight for me to welcome the young students," Neyenhuis added.
For Job Corps volunteers, supporting the Bitterroot Valley provides both hands-on experience and a sense of fulfillment.
"We want that to be our legacy, giving back to the community. The community does so much for us, and so we wanna be able to support that in multiple ways," said Trapper Creek Job Corps Center Director Sal Ochoa.
Volunteer opportunities with the garden are available by emailing warren.neyenhuis@gmail.com
