Rotary Club of Ashland’s garden near Neil Creek Road — about a third of an acre, tended by the club since 2009 — is on track for another strong season. In 2025, the garden sent more than 5,500 pounds of fresh, organic vegetables to over 600 Ashland households through the Ashland Community Food Bank, with volunteers delivering nearly 30 separate harvests over the summer.

This year, local businesses including Grocery Outlet, Ashland Grange Co-op, and Ashland Greenhouses donated starts for peppers, squash, tomatoes, and eggplant, and around 30–35 Rotarians — led in part by longtime volunteer Bob Good — are rotating through Saturday morning shifts to keep the garden going. Potato harvesting was set to begin in mid-July, with irrigation expected to run through mid-September or later this year.

Food bank executive director Catie Mahoney noted that fresh produce is consistently the top request from residents coming in for food, making the garden’s steady summer-long supply especially valuable. Rotarians Linda Wilson and Amey Broeker, among others, spoke to how personally meaningful the project is — a hands-on way to address food insecurity that, as Broeker put it, “couldn’t be done any other way.”

Ashland Community Food Bank benefits from Rotary Club of Ashland’s garden bounty throughout summer, fall

News Source : https://rotarydistrict5110.com/food-bank-benefits-from-rotarys-garden-bounty/