Community Corner
11,000 lbs. of Pumpkins Smashed at the Ron Ory Community Garden Plots
November 5 event a success at Naperville Park District
In spite of the high winds and rain, 265 families brought more than 1,000 pumpkins to the 2022 Naperville Park District Pumpkin Smash on Saturday, November 5 at the Ron Ory Community Garden Plots. A crew of 48 volunteers counted pumpkins and staff estimated that the total weight of the pumpkins was 11,000 lbs.
“We are grateful to our volunteers and appreciated the large group of volunteers from the Naperville Young Men’s Service League—a program for moms and their high school sons,” said Angelique Harshman, Nature Center manager.
The Naperville Park District event was one of more than 40 other pumpkin collections in the Chicago area coordinated by SCARCE, a local environmental organization. Composting pumpkins keeps waste out of the landfill, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and creates a natural fertilizer for our soil.
