KYS digs up a new community service project
Kirkwood Youth Service (KYS) is notorious for its annual blood drive, ringing the Salvation Army bell around Christmas and other service projects around the city. But this year a new project is being introduced that involves a lot more hands on activity- hands in dirt that is.
This upcoming summer and into the fall, KYS will be helping out a community garden at Trinity Lutheran Church located on Lockett Rd. in Kirkwood. Matt Eagon, junior, introduced this project to KYS when more attention was called to the growing popularity of the garden.
“[The garden] started off as a confirmation project in eighth grade,” Eagon said. “It was just a small garden, and we sold the produce to members of the church and donated the money to KirkCare.”
After expanding the garden to 60 feet by 40 feet, Eagon looked to KYS for extra help. Starting off with a few plants, the garden has expanded into a variety of fruits and vegetables including zucchini, tomatoes, carrots, cantaloupe and many more.
“I’m really looking forward to working with the community garden. We get to not only help with planting and weeding, but also with harvesting and delivering the produce to food pantries,” Bob Becker, sponsor of KYS, said.
This project brings a new form of service and hard work to benefit the community. The gardens purpose is to not only provide responsibility for the students who dedicate their time to serving the community, but also to give back to those who need the communities support.
The produce harvested in this garden will be donated to Circle Of Concern, a food pantry that feeds over 2,200 people living in the western St. Louis County. Families come to Circle of Concern once a month to receive a seven to ten day supply of fresh food.
“Our goal is that each food order helps the family save money at the grocery store so they can put their income towards utilities and housing,” Circle Of Concern’\s online mission statement said.
KYS’s efforts towards the garden as well as Circle Of Concern makes a gracious contribution to feeding those in our community who need it the most. This new form of hands-on service provides the members of KYS with an engaging long-term project that has an enduring effect on the community.
“I love the idea of getting these students involved,” Becker said, “[The students get to] work with the community rather than just for the community.”
Your donation will support the student journalists of Kirkwood High School. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs.
Grade: 12
Extracurriculars: Call, cross country, track
What do you like about Call?: All the fun people
How would you describe yourself?: Goofy
Favorite...
Juliet Holden • May 9, 2014 at 9:04 am
As the Community Communications Director of Circle Of Concern AND the proud mother of a Kirkwood High School junior (soon-to-be senior!), I was thrilled to see this article in the Call!
Circle is committed to providing fresh produce, dairy and meat in every grocery order we provide to the thousands of people we serve each month. Being able to offer a variety of garden-fresh fruits and vegetables from a local garden means the world when it comes to nourishing and respecting the needs and tastes of our clients.
If you believe like I do that the fruits of our labors carry with them all our good intention and energy, the produce you provide to families in need at Circle will be an encouraging gift to so many!
Thank you, thank you!