by Eileen Weber

For the second growing season, Operation Hope will have fresh vegetables to provide their Food Pantry. The organization can thank Eleanor Fraser, a volunteer that came up with the idea of an organic garden last spring. She pitched the concept and was greeted with a warm reception. “They loved it,” Fraser said.

“She’s been amazing,” said Michelle Stearns, Operation Hope’s Volunteer Coordinator, of last year’s efforts. “It was such a hard time getting a plot. There was all that rain. The garden started late. But she persevered and got it off the ground.”

Fraser had some trouble securing a plot. There isn’t sufficient regulation from the town and keeping track of plot assignments seemed a little dicey. Some of the volunteers said other towns have a much smoother system and wished Fairfield would follow in those footsteps.

“I was shocked that no one I have talked to knew about it,” said Eileen Noel, who will be returning this year with her daughter Hanna. “The more I learn about the way plots are assigned, the more important it seems that the town needs some type of committee to oversee it and run it more efficiently. They might look to neighboring towns to see what works and what doesn’t.”

But aside from the difficulty in getting the ball rolling, Fraser and a handful of volunteers managed to work through stinging nettles, a sea of weeds, and a whole lot of bugs. This year, the clean up wasn’t as bad. “It really didn’t take as long as I expected,” said Fraser of the recent spring clean up. “It looks pretty good now.”

With the clean up under her belt, Fraser said she realizes there is a bigger challenge to face: Donations. Last year, area nurseries provided free plantings to get the garden off to a running start. But the garden didn’t really get underway until June. And, the plants were all summer crops. Because she’s starting sooner, Fraser said seedlings will be essential along with a number of other items: Deer netting, soil test kits, straw for weed control, and compost, for example.

“Right now we need good organic compost to add to the beds before we can plant, we also need organic fertilizers, organic bug sprays and everything in between,” she said in a recent e-mail. “That’s the hard part, there is so much that we need but no money to get it. But I feel that if people have extra and can donate a half a bag of this or a bottle of that, we can do it.”

That yes-you-can attitude is what has volunteers returning to help out. Nicholas Hilton said he is looking forward to returning this year. “It is really exciting to see the fruits of your labor directly help somebody out, so yes, I am involved because of the impact it has on other people,” he said. “I had such a great time participating last year. In addition to being fun, I also enjoyed helping out in the garden because it made me feel that I could make life a little better for those in need.”

So if you find yourself with a little time on your hands or you have excess materials you’d like to donate, contact Operation Hope at (203) 292-5587 and let them know you’d like to help.