Producing a bumper crop of vegetables in the garden is a source of immense pride for many area residents.

Planting in the spring, weeding and watering through the summer, and picking the ripe tomatoes and other goodies later in the growing season are all part of their yearly routine. Some of those folks earn the desigination of master gardener.

Now, the Webster County Master Garderners are putting their talent to work to support people whose circumstances have become so bad that they’re never sure where their next meal is going to come from.

The Master Gardeners are starting what they call a donation garden. All the vegetables grown there will be donated to The Salvation Army and the Lord’s Cupboard. And there promises to be a lot of produce coming out of that garden. The Master Gardeners plan to plant tomatoes, zucchini, squash, potatoes, onions, peppers, cucumbers, melons, broccoli, cabbage, sweet potatoes, carrots and beans.

The donation garden will be near Fourth Avenue South and Seventh Street. That site was the first community garden in Fort Dodge and the city is allowing the master gardeners to use it.

A $4,000 grant from the 2019 Growing Together program, part of the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Master Gardener program, is paying the expenses of this effort.

We’re impressed with this plan.

The Webster County Master Gardeners will be donating their time and their green thumb talents to provide fresh, healthy food to folks who might otherwise be able to get it. On behalf of those people, we say thank you to the master gardeners.

We also applaud the decision-makers within the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Master Gardener program who decided the Fort Dodge donation garden was worthy of a $4,000 grant.