Volunteers Plant Year's First Seeds in Immanuel Lutheran Community Garden

With spades and seeds in hand, a dozen volunteers planted the first crops of the 2012 season this weekend in the now 3-year-old "" at .

A community garden, the Gathering Patch is tended entirely by volunteers and stocked wholly by donations.

For the third year, donated the plants and through the summer and fall, dozens of community volunteers will be needed to harvest the crops for distribution to Immanuel's own food pantry, area soup kitchens and the Hope Center in Macomb, a pantry open to all Macomb County residents.

Though planted on Immanuel’s property, the garden is a community effort and open to volunteers of all ages and occupations—green thumbs or not.

“I’ve noticed a lot of people who spend the afternoon with us out there want to come back,” said volunteer Jennifer Moore, . “When we’re out there together, interesting things always happen.”

Those interested in donating their time or gardening know-how can email Karen Reincke at kreincke@immlutheran.org or call the Immanuel office at 586-286-4321.