Group works to relaunch community garden

By Mike Warren

MARSHFIELD – A group of recent Leadership Marshfield graduates has made it their goal to relaunch a community garden, while also establishing a way to memorialize loved ones.

Jeremiah Fawley, Heather Gustin, Micah Jensen, and Bonnie Sabo came together during the most recent Leadership Marshfield class that celebrated its graduation April 21. Those classes are divided into groups, and each group then identifies a need and creates a community service project based on that need. This year's class is either continuing, revitalizing or reinventing past or existing Leadership Marshfield service projects, including the Lucille Wolf Memorial Community Garden at Central & Arnold, across from St. Vincent DePaul Food Pantry and Thrift Store.

"The garden would make a huge, positive impact on the community by providing fresh produce to those in need, and by providing community members with a space to volunteer," says Jensen. "As a group we were so moved by St. Vincent DePaul's mission, we knew we needed to help."

Bonnie Sabo receives a check April 22 from representatives of Masonite, as the company's donation toward the Lucille Wolf Memorial Garden project. MACCI photo

Started nearly a decade ago by then-Director of Outreach Services Deb Steltenpohl as a way to supplement the St. Vincent DePaul Food Pantry, a group of Simplicity Credit Union employees took over the garden in 2018. The garden was put on hold the past two years, during the height of COVID-19.

"Our goal is to not only have a productive produce garden, but also a memorial location for those in the community", adds Fawley. "The garden will be called the Lucille Wolf Memorial Garden. And, understanding that poverty and low income does exist in our community, it just really pulled at our heart strings to provide something that is a big quality of life for someone who is coming to the food pantry."

The group hopes to install fencing, dedicated water sources and raised garden beds by the end of May, followed by planting the first crops around June 1, then providing volunteer opportunities for community members who can weed and water the gardens throughout July and August.

"We wanted to make sure we were creating a project that could continue on year after year," says Gustin. "The big push of this project is really on the front end. Having these raised garden beds, the ability to freshen up the soil each year, helped it become really sustainable. It's relatively low cost after the initial build. And each year the garden is just going to need some fresh soil and new plantings, so really it's going to be a lot of volunteers coming together to keep this garden going year after year."

The group is currently fundraising for the project, with an initial goal of $15,000.

"Even with in-kind donations, we're still looking at $5,000 dollars to make this a possibility," according to Sabo.

The Lucille Wolf Memorial Garden welcomes assistance from local businesses and individuals who wish to participate in the creation and upkeep of the garden. A donation of $100 or more gives supporters a biannual sponsorship plaque on one of the raised garden beds. As for the other aspect of the project, memorial plaques are available for purchase, and will be displayed throughout the gardens.

Contact Trisha Hebert at St. Vincent DePaul for more information. Contributions can be sent to the St. Vincent de Paul Outreach Center, care of the Lucille Wolf Memorial Garden, 149 N. Central Ave., Marshfield, WI, 54449. Meanwhile, if you are interested in volunteering for seasonal planting and upkeep, reach out to St. Vincent de Paul at 715-387-0395 or stvincentdepauloutreach54449@yahoo.com.