2018-Evening Gardening @ Denver's Observatory Park

Start Date-End Date: 05/22/2018-05/22/2018 Land Manager Office: Grow Local Colorado Land Manager Contact: Barbara Masoner Funding Partner: Grow Local Colorado Programmatic Partner: Grow Local Colorado Summary: WAITLISTED: Plant vegetable gardens with Grow Local Colorado! For volunteers ages 8+. Description: About the Stewardship Site: Observatory Park is a small, yet spacious park near the University of Denver (DU) campus. Home to DU's historic Chamberlin Observatory, the park also boasts century-old trees, an extensive playground area, and vast open fields perfect for picnicking or a pickup game of Frisbee. About the Volunteer Experience: Looking for an easy way to get outside and give back to your community? Look no further! Through our long-standing partnership with Grow Local Colorado, volunteers ages 8+ will spend the evening preparing and planting vegetable gardens in Denver's Observatory Park. While Grow Local will maintain the gardens throughout the summer, VOC will return in the fall to help harvest the vegetables, which will be donated to local residents in need. Check out our Evening Gardening @ Denver's Harvard Gulch Park on May 31 and stay tuned for our fall harvest dates! About the Overall Impact: The vegetables that volunteers plant will be harvested in the fall and donated to local food banks, homeless shelters, and families in need. This partnership with Grow Local Colorado creates a more connected community; demonstrates the beauty and efficacy of edible gardens; inspires residents to plant their own vegetable gardens; and contributes to a more sustainable food chain by reducing our carbon footprint. Need-to-Know Details: Minors:All youth under 16mustbe accompanied by an adult 21 years or older on single-day projects. Cancellation:Our land partners rely on VOC volunteers to accomplish critical stewardship needs, and our projects often have wait lists. If you need to cancel, pleasecontact Jamie Burkeat 303-715-1010 ext. 116 as soon as possible so we can free your spot for another volunteer and have a full workforce. Latitude/Longitude: 39.7345542, -104.988121 Additional Information: Camping Available: No Physical Difficulty: Easy High Altitude Project: No Desired Number of Volunteers: 10 Total Adult Volunteers Attended: 11 Total Youth Volunteers Attended: 0 Total Volunteer Days: 11 Total Unique Volunteers: 11 Total Volunteer Hours: 18 Staff Hours: 4 Stipend Hours: 0 Project Summary: On Tuesday, May 22nd 11 volunteers came out to Observatory Park with VOC and Grow Local Colorado to help plant seeds and starter plants for the growing season.The volunteers made quick work of the 250 square foot garden, planting a variety of veggies including (but not limited to) basil, kale, collards, lettuce, beans and carrots, that will all be donated to a nearby food pantry. This garden is estimated to produce close to 150 lbs of food this season. After the work was complete, Chipotle donated delicious burritos for dinner! Successes and Challenges: Lessons Learned: Special Notes: Stewardship Education: Key Concerns or Comments from Staff or Volunteers: Description of Accidents/Incidents: Description of Work Completed: