Students, staff and volunteers at St Mary’s Elementary embodied the spirit of Thanksgiving this week as they harvested crops from the school garden and donated the fruits of their labour to those who need it most.

The gardening initiative began at St. Mary’s in St John’s back in 2017 with a small vision and four gardening boxes. Since then, things have grown.

Gardening coordinator and parent, Jane Brokenshire, says the good growth is largely due to unending support from teachers and staff at the school.

She recalls how things seemed uncertain during planting back in June but with some of the restrictions lifting around that time, volunteers were able to sow the seeds as originally planned.

Normally, the veggies would go toward a large gathering of students for a fresh meal but Brokenshire says that wasn’t possible this year. They gave hampers of fresh vegetables to two families while the remaining harvest was donated to an organization that helps vulnerable people.

Brokenshire says they have already received some photos from Stella’s Circle of them processing all the veggies and even though students didn’t have an opportunity to gather for a big Thanksgiving dinner, the opportunity to help others is a much more rewarding experience.

Staff at the school now have funding to build an enclosed greenhouse. The foundation is already in place, close by the school, and the structure is slated to be fully installed by Spring 2021.