Last Thursday the Club welcomed two representatives of the Montgomery County 4-H Club, AMY GANGES and KATHRYN RUSH, who gave us a great overview of the activities, programs, and events of the club.
Amy gave us background on 4-H, which began in 1902, with the Montgomery County chapter originating in1912. A Land Grant placed under the the Penn State University authority, and Ami is thus an employee of Penn State. She pointed out the the Montco Club serves the area with 20 'traditional' clubs, with 400+ members, and with an outreach to 2000 kids in area schools. 4-H gives introductions and invite into many areas of agriculture to students age 5 -18, and is not limited to just animals. They provide classes, clubs, and events that include many areas of interest: dog agility programs, livestock raising, cooking, archery, and rifle clubs to name just a few.
Their main area for events is a large facility in Creamery that was built up 40 years ago and serves as a meeting place, fair ground, and all their special events. Amy said that 4-H Club membership has proved to be a great starting point for kids who think they may want to pursue carriers in agriculture, with several going on to become veterinarians.
Besides the many clubs, classes, and lectures, the club participates in many community service projects, such as a coat drive, meat donations, sending cards to the elderly, and taking animals to vet visits. They also run summer camps, and short classes on a variety of topics.
KATHRYN RUSH, a 10 year member of the club, spoke about her personal experiences in the club, and related how she has become deeply involved in the organization, and has led several trips, clubs, and events like the youth club, livestock club,Manna on Main Street event, and participating in the Annual PDU Science Camp.
4-H CREAMERY FACILITIES
Amy and Kathryn invited everyone too their public open houses and their Fair which will be held August 7 -9.
I’ve put together a list of tasks we need to complete by spring so we can begin planting the rest of the garden. These items should be achievable with the funding we’ll request in the 2025–2026 Rotary Budget. Please review the list below and let me know if anything is missing or if you’re willing to take the lead on any of the tasks:
Watering Schedule – Set up a monthly watering rotation for current plants*. If each Rotary member signs up once a month, we should be covered.
Sod Removal – Phase 1 – Reach out to local sod farms to see if they’re interested in removing sod at no cost.
Sod Removal – Phase 2 – If no luck with sod farms, get estimates from local landscapers for sod removal.
Community Partnerships – Contact local garden clubs, scout troops, Whitehall Farms, and Norristown Rotaract to explore collaboration.
Fall Work Day – Schedule a cleanup day in Sept/Oct to remove remnants of the original garden so the township can re-seed. This includes relocating the Weeping Redbud to its new spot.
Fence Installation – If we receive the District Rotary grant, we’ll have funding to install the garden fence.
Next Steps:
Let me know if you see any missing tasks or if you can take ownership of one of the items listed above.
Once we have a solid plan, we’ll schedule a Zoom meeting to review progress and finalize roles.
**The existing rain barrel is leaking and cannot be repaired. With this year’s funds, we have purchased a new rain barrel and will ask the W.N. Parks & Rec to replace it for us. Once that is done, Judy Bucko will donate a 100’ garden house to make this task easier.
Feel free to call me if you have any questions.
Thanks to everyone for your interest in this project.,
As many of you know from attending lunch meetings, we are working to obtain a bench for our Padden Park Garden project from Trex. All we have to do is collect our plastic. I am attaching a list of all the plastics we can recycle. We have just 1 year to collect 1000 pounds, so your participation is important. So far we have dropped off 61 pounds, and we only have til May 31, 2026, to collect another 939 pounds. You can bring your recyclable items to any meeting. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.
Help anyone hungry, weary or living in the streets. Help serve breakfast & coffee, organize meals, lead devotion, handle client check-ins, manage the food pantry. Day shelter services
We are the only non-profit, comprehensive crime-victim agency serving Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Our confidential services are provided at no cost to survivors of crime and their loved ones. Need help with day to day services. Collect used cell phones.
Volunteer at the Pantry or the Farm. Creating meal kits, distributing to guests. Plant pick and pack, help deliver and pick up from partners. Help feed the hungry.
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