The LuLac Edition #4,363, July 29th, 2020

WRITE ON WEDNESDAY

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This week we give you glimpse into what we do during my daytime job at the wilkes-Barre Health Department. 

COMMUNITY STEPS UP WITH GARDENING EFFORT

By Steve McCarsky, staff writer

The coronavirus pandemic made continuing the Wilkes-Barre Health Department’s Community Gardens Program an uncertainty this year, but staff and volunteers rallied to make it happen. The ability to grow new batches of vegetables in 2020 was in question when the pandemic sidelined dedicated gardeners in the spring, according to health department educator David Yonki.
The displacement of city employees after part of the roof was torn off City Hall in a freak April windstorm also delayed the program. Last year, the department rejuvenated the Community Gardens program with the establishment of three new gardens – at Community Counseling Services, King’s College and The Greenhouse Center Clubhouse.
In June, health department educators began work at the three sites established last year. The challenge was twofold: optimum planting season was running out of time, and the three established entities were essentially closed because of COVID-19 restrictions.
But the health department found a group of volunteers who agreed to weed, seed and plant the gardens. City officials then asked gardeners with the Restored Church Garden at Meade and Northampton streets, which was spearheaded by Councilwoman Beth Gilbert, and a plot of land at Barney Farms Community Park started by Attorney Kelly Bray Snyder and her neighbors if they would like to partner with the city.
The last addition at New Roots was planted on the Fourth of July weekend.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health’s Safe and Healthy Communities grant, which funds education initiatives of the city health department, called for only one additional garden as a requirement. But city health director Henry Radulski asked, why stop at just one?
“We have staff here that not only want to meet expectations but continually exceed them,” Radulski said in a statement.
The success and expansion of the gardens wouldn’t have happened without a team of tenacious and energetic volunteers, according to Yonki.
“When we sought out the volunteer group, I knew right from the start they were going to be something special. The level of knowledge, energy and expertise was evident. But what was impressive for me was the commitment to do the work in such a compressed time period. We had, like, 25 days to do this and got it done with time toThe volunteer team met with Mayor George Brown at City Hall and briefed him on their work.
Ranee Dantone was the moving force behind this effort, according to Councilman John Marconi. Marconi met her during a neighborhood cleanup effort and passed her interest in gardening in the city to Radulski, who referred her to Yonki.
Dantone, of the Parsons section of the city, got together with friends Kristen Reap and Rose Yanko, and started a community garden in the North End of the city after forming the nonprofit Our Community Garden. That core group then helped organize efforts with the city’s community gardens program.
“The support from people around the city and kids in the neighborhoods was amazing,” Dantone said. FNCB Bank offered a sponsorship to assist with the garden project, Yonki said.
And gardens at agencies such as Community Counseling Services provides an outlet to staff as well as client program members. Gardening helps increase the life skills of members of the psychological rehabilitation program and helps given them a sense of accomplishment, said staffer Kathy Yendrick. When the gardens yield their harvest, the Health Department plans to conduct nutrition based educational workshops as well as have the garden participants distribute the produce to their clientele and the community.
Contact the writer: smocarsky@citizensvoice.com; 570-821-2110; @MocarskyCV