Junior League of Boca Raton Gears Up for Boca Raton Community Garden's First Growing Season

Online, September 29, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Junior League of Boca Raton (JLBR) and local gardeners are gearing up for the first growing season at the Boca Raton Community Garden which begins Saturday, October 1. This will be the first opportunity for gardeners to access their individual garden plots. Volunteers from the Junior League of Boca Raton will be on hand to assist gardeners in moving soil into the 47 plots. A percentage of the produce from the garden will be donated back to Boca Helping Hands furthering the garden's goal of providing a beautiful and natural retreat, while producing a healthy supplemental food source for its gardeners and the hungry.

"We're very excited about this cooperative effort between the Junior League, our local government, local businesses and citizens. We're all working together on this project which in addition to providing fresh produce for Boca Helping Hands and raising awareness about hunger in our community, will also provide a beautiful setting to foster community spirit" said Nancy Dockerty, President of the Junior League of Boca Raton.

Founded by the Junior League of Boca Raton through the encouragement of Boca Raton Mayor, Susan Whelchel, the garden's mission is to cultivate the spirit of community and enhance quality of life by creating and sustaining an organic garden of vegetables, flowers, plants, and trees. In spring 2010, Mayor Whelchel entrusted JLBR to design and construct a Community Garden near Boca's downtown library. The Junior League of Boca Raton began raising funds by forming a partnership with Whole Foods Market, and selling naming opportunities in the garden, such as brick pavers and benches. The league has leased plots to local individuals, companies and organizations including Cendyn, Whole Foods Market, Claremont Montessori School, and the Boca Raton Green Living Task Force.

The garden is located on 1.5 acres of land in Downtown Boca Raton, adjacent to the future site of the new downtown public library at 101 NW 4th St, Boca Raton, FL 33432.
For more information about the Boca Raton Community Garden, or to inquire about available garden plots or bricks please contact the Community Garden Committee C0-Chairs at 561-620-4778 or email [email protected].

About the Junior League of Boca Raton

This year, the Junior League of Boca Raton is celebrating 40 years of service to our community. Throughout the year, JLBR members will contribute more than 25,000 volunteer hours and donate more than $250,000 to support our mission of training volunteers, developing the potential of women and improving the South Florida community. For more information on joining this year's 2011-2012 JLBR provisional class or to learn more about the JLBR, please contact the JLBR office at 561-620-2553 or visit www.JLBR.org. Connect with us on facebook.com/JuniorLeagueBocaRaton, twitter.com/JLBocaRaton and http://jlbrinaction.blogspot.com/

The Junior League of Boca Raton (JLBR) is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and improving our community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable. Since 1971, the JLBR has been an integral part of our community. The Junior League of Boca Raton is part of the Association of Junior Leagues International, which is comprised of 292 Junior Leagues across the United States and in four countries.