Everyone here at Prairiewoods looks forward to June when we host our annual Garden Party fundraiser. It’s a beautiful time of year here as things begin to bloom in the woods and out on the prairie, and we’re thrilled to welcome our Garden Party guests to our beautiful facilities and grounds. More importantly, it’s also the time of year when plants in our Green Prairie Garden are beginning to pop out of the soil with the promise of growing into beautiful plants that will bring nourishment to food pantry recipients.
Not everyone knows that we have a large food pantry garden, but it’s been here at Prairiewoods for many years and has fed thousands of families and individuals through our donations to the Metro Catholic Outreach food pantry and now to the new Hiawatha Library food pantry. We have been so happy to partner with both of these food pantries that serve both Cedar Rapids and Hiawatha residents.
When you attend or donate to our Garden Party, you’re helping us to provide for all of those individuals and families who typically can’t afford fresh produce at the grocery store or get it at a pantry. We often take for granted the ability to buy or grow all of the fresh produce that we want, but for many people these days, that just isn’t possible.
We hope that you will attend our Garden Party on Saturday, June 7, from 5–8 p.m. here at Prairiewoods. We have lots of fun things planned for our event, including a Flower Bar where you can make a beautiful bouquet to take home for $30. We’ll also have a silent auction with some wonderful things to bid on, as well as live music by the jazz group Anji Kat Trio. Garden shares will also be available to purchase, and the proceeds from those shares go directly back into supporting the food pantry gardens.
We also hope that you’ll take a tour of our grounds while you’re here so that you can see everything that Prairiewoods has to offer on our 67 acres, including our food pantry gardens, labyrinth, Nature Playscape, Four Winds Food Forest and more. To register for our Garden Party or to donate, visit Prairiewoods.org/Garden-Party. The cost is $60 per ticket and includes wine, beer or non-alcoholic beverages, as well as a delicious tapas dinner.
We hope that you’ll join us. With your support, we can ensure that individuals and families in our community have access to nutritious food!
—Sandy Rosenberger, Prairiewoods development coordinator