Marion County Master Gardeners were awarded a $1000 grant in the spring to begin a donation garden.

The grant money came from a project with Iowa State University and the SNAP-Ed program. The garden resulted in 230 pounds of fresh produce being donated to the Pella Food Shelf and Helping Hands Food Pantry in Knoxville.The produce donated included cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini, herbs, broccoli, squash, melons, and pears. The Marion County Master Gardeners look forward to continuing to help local low income families and food pantries by providing fresh produce and educational materials in years to come.