Foundation partners with Master Gardeners to bring garden to South County

Gilroy, California (May 19, 2010)– As part of a new initiative, the Saint Louise Regional Hospital Foundation is partnering with the Master Gar­deners of Santa Clara County to provide South County residents with a garden on the north side of Saint Louise Regional Hospital in the very near future.

“This garden project will be serving community needs across the spectrum,” shared Foundation CEO Michele Averill. “Not only will this garden offer aesthetic scenery for our staff, patients and visitors, but it will also serve as an educational tool for our community, as part of a healthy eating and Diabetes prevention program created by our Community Health Director, Sister Rachela Silvestri.”

The garden project, which began in early January 2010, will include a diversity of insecticide-free, drought-tolerant plants, herbs, vegetables and an orchard with a variety of fruit trees.

Vegetables grown in this garden will not only be used by the Saint Louise cafeteria, but will also be donated to St. Joseph’s Family Center to help the less fortunate. Classrooms from the community will have the opportunity to visit the site for lessons in gardening and healthy food choices.

“This is the first Master Gardeners project in South Bay,” said Master Gardener project lead Bette Lloyd, who leads about 10-12 Master Gardeners on a weekly basis. “We are very excited to bring this to the people living in this area. We hope we can develop a demonstration garden that will provide home gardeners with tips for good sustainable garden practices.”

Many local businesses have donated resources for the project, such as dirt, cardboard and wood chips. Even local Boy Scouts have volunteered their time to help with the gardening efforts.

“This is definitely a big collaborative community effort. We appreciate all the local donations we’ve received thus far and welcome any more!” said Master Gardener Tina Geyer.

The garden completion date is tentative, but will take about 12-18 months.

The Master Gardeners are trained volunteers of garden enthusiasts with the University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Program.

If you would like to donate resources or would like more information about the garden project, the Saint Louise Regional Hospital Foundation or the Master Gardeners, please contact Michele Averill at (408) 779-4510.