The Neighborhood Garden at Trackside Teen Center is blooming with a variety of fruits, vegetables, and flowers, which have all been planted and maintained by the Green Teens volunteers. In collaboration with Wilton Youth Services, the Wilton Garden Club, and Trackside Teen Center, the Green Teens program was formed to give teens an opportunity to learn about gardening and to give back to their community.
For the duration of the Green Teens project from spring to fall, Wilton teens meet to design, plant, harvest, and maintain the neighborhood garden at Trackside. The project is coordinated by Ann Collis, Sarah Gioffre, and Pam Nobumoto of the Wilton Garden Club. Boy Scout Troop 20 organized the design, construction and installation of additional raised garden beds as well as the recent addition of a new compost bin.
While the project teaches teens the importance of sustainable gardening, the student volunteers are also giving back to the community. Every Monday, the Green Teens student volunteers meet at Trackside to pick fresh produce, wash and prepare fruits and vegetables in the Trackside kitchen, and then deliver them to the Wilton Food Pantry. Last year, the Green Teens donated a total of 30 pounds of produce.
“The Green Teens volunteers have worked so hard to create a beautiful garden and they have taken great care to harvest as much produce as possible. We are so pleased to be able to provide the space for this kind of project at the Teen Center,” said Trackside program director, Amy Nassef.
The Green Teens Project is still looking for student volunteers in grades 5-8 to finish this year’s garden project over the summer. Volunteers meet on Mondays from 2-4 p.m. at Trackside to harvest produce, wash fruits and vegetables, and deliver them to the Wilton Food Pantry. To learn more about the Green Teens program or sign up to volunteer, visit www.trackside.org/green-teens.