Hershey Community Garden Mid-Summer Update

Hard to believe we are halfway through July already! Summer goes much too quickly. For the gardeners of the Hershey Community Garden, summer means fresh produce and gorgeous flowers. Despite the rain early in the growing season, the Garden is flourishing. 

Following an expansion in 2018, the Hershey Community Garden now boasts 234 plots. Community members grow vegetables, herbs, and flowers in their plots. With 17 of those 234 plots dedicated exclusively to charitable groups, there have already been nearly 900 lbs donated to seven organizations this growing season! Organizations across the area have benefitted from the tireless work of dozens of volunteers and include Hershey Food Bank, Cocoa Packs, Hummelstown Food Bank, Hope Lodge, Middletown Food Bank, refugee families at Penn State Health, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and the Palmyra Food Bank. Two plots grow flowers which are picked, placed in vases and delivered to local retirement facilities including Columbia Cottage. The Garden also offers enrichment events and activities. This summer, ZooAmerica has conducted three animal encounters with one more to come. 

Established in the spring of 2014 on the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center campus, the Hershey Community Garden was founded and built by the Hershey Impact group, comprised of The Hershey Company, Milton Hershey School, Penn State Health, Hershey Entertainment & Resorts (HE&R) and The M.S. Hershey Foundation. The group created the garden with the intent of serving the surrounding area. The garden serves multiple purposes in the Hershey community including specific sections devoted to philanthropic giving. 

Dozens of HE&R team members have volunteered to weed, water and harvest the plot we share with The Hershey Company and we thank you for your help! For more information on The Hershey Community Garden, visit the website and follow the Facebook page.