Nashua Garden Club Supports Local Charities

It’s agreed - 2020 has been a year like no other! Even local garden clubs have been impacted including the Nashua Garden Club which made changes to assist with the control of COVID-19. Meetings moved to a virtual format and its annual Plant Sale held each May on the grounds of the beautiful Nashua Historical Society had to be canceled. In spite of lack of fund raising activities this year, club members knew that local charities were hard pressed to meet the needs of the Nashua community. Membership voted overwhelmingly to maintain the spirit of the club’s mission and press forth with its annual tradition of supporting local, charitable work.

Each year, the club identifies 4 benevolent organizations and another that focuses on education related to gardening or landscaping to receive a donation. This year’s holiday contribution was $125 for each recipient. After considering many worthy concerns, the club selected the following as this year’s recipients: Corpus Christi Food Pantry, Marguerite’s Place, Nashua Soup Kitchen & Shelter and Nashua Children’s Home, who received their contribution at the beginning of the school year. The educational beneficiary was Grow Nashua.

“While it’s distressing to hear about the extraordinary needs of the Nashua community this year, it is heartwarming to learn of the work done by these organizations to meet these challenges. The Garden Club is grateful to be able to contribute,” said Lois Scotto, President of the Nashua Garden Club. As an example, the Nashua Soup Kitchen & Shelter received a record number of requests for Christmas gifts for children this year. Volunteers and staff prepared packages for more than 415 children while also feeding a record number of people. Marguerite’s Place told about their staff going above and beyond to ensure the safety and comfort of families in their program, and of each other. They quickly adjusted to virtually manage cases and strengthened practices to continually provide quality childcare while ensuring health and safety. Corpus Christi Food Pantry will be using the donation to strengthen their mission of providing nourishment and financial assistance to the many who are overwhelmed with adversity, compounded by the pandemic and this winter’s approaching cold weather.

Though the battle to contain COVID has forced the Garden Club to modify its activities, the club continues to virtually conduct informative and educational programs and is open to new members. Smaller, socially distanced teams can also be seen throughout the greater Nashua area, nurturing a variety of gardens such as the Sensory Garden in Greeley Park and the grounds of the Nashua Humane Society. Further information can be found at http://www.nashuanhgardenclub.... .