Growing More Than Vegetables: How a grant from the Somerset Community Fund is helping Garden to Give cultivate generosity and nourish a community
- 5 hours ago
- 2 min read
The first question usually comes as soon as a tomato ripens.
"Can I eat it?"
Teacher Erin Hoff smiles. "Yes, eat the vegetables—that's what all this is about."
For students in Somerset Elementary's Garden to Give program, that first bite is often followed by an even bigger discovery. Every season, the vegetables they plant, weed, water, and harvest are donated to the Somerset Food Pantry, where they help provide fresh food for local families.
"Kids have a lot of questions about how this helps other people," Hoff said. "Once those questions are answered, they usually want to grow more vegetables."
Since 2018, Garden to Give has grown into a true community effort. Throughout the summer, anywhere from 12 to 100 students help plant, weed, water, and harvest vegetables, and 100% of the harvest is donated to the Somerset Food Pantry, where hundreds of people visit each week. Along the way, students discover tha
t even small acts of kindness can make a meaningful difference.
The grant, helping expand the garden with raised planting beds and a water-efficient irrigation system, was made possible through the Somerset Community Fund, the St. Croix Valley Foundation's local affiliate serving Somerset. Through charitable gifts from local donors, the endowed community fund provides long-term support for local organizations and community priorities.
Like the garden itself, the project reflects the generosity of an entire community. In addition to the Somerset Community Fund grant, local businesses, volunteers, parents, and community partners have donated time, materials, and expertise to help the program grow.
For Hoff, who also serves on the Somerset Community Fund Advisory Board, that spirit of generosity is exactly what Garden to Give is all about.
"We're teaching children so much more than gardening," she said. "They're learning patience while waiting for seeds to sprout, resilience when a plant unexpectedly dies, responsibility for caring for another living thing, and empathy as they discover how their harvest helps others. Those are lessons they'll carry with them long after the dirt washes off their hands."
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