4 Holmdel Teen Girls Honored For Garden For Cancer Patients

HOLMDEL, NJ — Who knew such outstanding teens lived in Holmdel Township? Four Holmdel High School seniors were given the prestigious Caring Award from the Monmouth County Guidance Directors Association this month for their work in creating a backyard garden and donating the fresh produce to local cancer patients.

The four seniors, Wallis Toscarelli, Lexi Vervoordt, Julia Hamwi and Gabrielle Cipriano, call themselves "Girls Giving Greens."

The girls built a backyard organic garden and have been donating the harvested produce to Mary's Place by the Sea, a respite home in Ocean Grove for women living with cancer. They even decided to donate the money accompanying the Caring Award back to Mary's Place.

Wallis said the group of four young women had always been friends, and the idea for the organic garden started in the spring of their sophomore year.

"We were all in the car driving home when we passed a small produce stand selling local goods," she said. "We realized how we could be involved in growing too. But instead of selling our crops, we would donate them. We are all avid about volunteer work, and we thought we could take a bigger step: Instead of joining a volunteer organization, we could form our own."

As a Girl Scout, Julia had already been familiar with Mary’s Place by the Sea and suggested it to the group as a potential place to give the vegetables to. Mary's Place is a beautiful home that is less than a block away from the beach in Ocean Grove.

"We learned that guests can participate in various activities while enjoying their stay such as yoga, massages, nutritional education classes, guided meditation, and more," Julia said. "We truly felt the connection with such a beautiful group of women. Everyone we encountered was so nice and appreciative of our presence and contributions. We felt humbled knowing that we were making their day a little bit brighter.”

They plant every spring at Gabby’s house, and then typically meet every two weeks to weed the garden and prevent any damage to the vegetables. Towards the end of June and beginning of July, the majority of the produce is ready to be harvested.

That's when they bring them to Mary's Place by the Sea. The girls go to Ocean Grove respite home every two to three weeks all summer long, dropping off more fresh garden vegetables. They meet with the chef each time, who tells them how the vegetables will be used in recipes for the cancer patients.

Most teens probably wouldn't want to pick weeds or harvest produce on a hot summer day. But these inspirational teens say their little garden has taught them a lot about life.

"It is a humbling feeling that puts life into perspective," Wallis said. "We realized this 'after school activity' was much more than a garden: It was about working together to bring some joy into people’s lives.”

“The Caring Award is given to one senior from each high school in Monmouth County in recognition of their commitment to community service throughout high school," explained Holmdel High School guidance counselor Daniel DeStefano. "It is always a pleasure to attend the ceremony, as each recipient prepares a short video summarizing their work and the videos are shown as their names are called. These young people do amazing work and it really is a breath of fresh air to see their efforts duly honored.”

You can view the video these inspirational young ladies put together for the ceremony: