GALION — Last summer, the Crawford County Council on Aging started its Growing Together program with the help of a grant from the Crawford Partnership. The program began as a community garden with the intent to bring together the area’s senior citizens and youth.
That program will be expanding to include Galion this year..
Growing Together is funded by a grant from the Crawford Partnership.
Seniors at the Council on Aging built four raised garden beds to get the project off the ground. Children from Sonshine Daycare and Preschool in Bucyrus planted the crops and maintained the beds on a regular basis with the assistance of area senior citizens who volunteered to help with the project.
During the course of the summer, the bounty reaped from that garden was used to provide snacks at the daycare. At the end of the growing season, the seniors and children teamed up to have a farmers market.
The connection between the seniors and children continued on into the winter months, with the seniors visiting the Daycare to do craft projects and watch the children’s Christmas program.
When Growing Together kicks off in Galion this summer, the hope is for the same bond to form between Galion area seniors citizens and Galion-area children. The program will be based at the Galion Community YMCA on Gill Ave., with children from the YMCA Daycare program participating.
“We have actually had a garden here at the Y for three seasons ,” said YMCA director Terry Gribble. “The childcare kids love watching the plants grow and produce all summer long. We will have three garden beds this year behind the back wall of our building close to the football fence. In the past we have sent the veggies home with the children. But this year with three beds, we will plan to have a little sale at the end of the season.”
Any senior citizens interested in helping with the program may contact Candy Yocum at the Crawford County Council on Aging at 419-562-3050 ext. 236 or Gribble at the Galion YMCA by calling 419-468-7754.
A ribbon cutting for the Growing Together Garden in Galion is currently being planned for sometime in May according to Yocum, activities director for the Crawford County Council on Aging.
“I really enjoy this kind of collaboration,” said Gribble.
