ST. PETERS, Mo. – From flood-ravaged fields to productive gardens, University of Missouri Extension Master Gardeners in St. Charles County show how volunteers help communities flourish.

The county extension center on Brown Road in St. Peters is a community hub. The property features teaching gardens, a greenhouse, a conference center and classrooms. An important feature is the pantry gardens, inspired by St. Charles County Master Gardener Paul Hendricks, who suffered food insecurity as a child.

“One of the most rewarding ways that MU Extension collaborates with our community is through our commitment to serving the needs of those who don’t have access to fresh food and vegetables,” said Fay Aubuchon, chair of the St. Charles County MU Extension Council.

Through its partnership with the council, which owns the property, St. Charles County Master Gardeners grow an average of 3,000 pounds of fresh produce a year that they donate to Sts. Joachim and Ann Care Services, a food pantry serving St. Charles, Lincoln and Warren counties. Some years the donations are so abundant, the pantry has surplus produce to give to other pantries in the metro area.

In recent years, flooding and erosion along the adjacent Dardenne Creek has threatened the gardens. In 2022, a bad storm inundated the property, wiping out the planting season and harvest for the year, said Deana Dothage, an MU Extension community development specialist based in St. Charles County.

Undeterred, volunteer Master Gardeners gave from their own personal gardens to make up for the loss. “They are that committed not only to gardening but with helping to fight food insecurity in our area,” Aubuchon said. “Over 10% of the population of Lincoln, Warren and St. Charles counties are food-insecure. Many are surprised to learn of this in Missouri counties that have some of highest income and growth.”

With the garden restored for the 2023 planting year, the Master Gardeners delivered enough fresh produce and herbs for the food pantry to serve 519 families and 1,089 individuals.

St. Charles Master Gardeners also educate the community on how to grow, harvest and store food from home and community gardens. The county extension council and Master Gardeners partner with 4-H and the Boys and Girls Club of St. Charles County to bring healthy eating ideas, recipes and gardening activities to youths.

In turn, the community showed its appreciation by supporting a Help Save the Gardens campaign to stabilize the creek banks and prevent further erosion of the property. Local Master Gardener David Romig gave $10,000, St. Joseph Hospital and SSM Health each contributed $5,000, and nearly 1,000 individuals and groups also donated to help meet the cost of the City of St. Peters’ major infrastructure project.

“Every dollar from every donor mattered because it showed that there was overwhelming community support out there,” Dothage said. “When we could talk with people about what we are doing every day to impact the community and how that is worth saving, people were willing to invest 100%.”

More info

• Learn more about programs and resources available through MU Extension in St. Charles County at https://extension.missouri.edu/counties/st-charles.
• Save the date: Fall 2024 Master Gardener online training begins Aug. 18. Registration opens mid-July. Visit https://mg.missouri.edu for more information.
• For more information about food insecurity in Missouri, view All Things Missouri data mapping resources compiled by the MU Center for Applied Research and Engagement Systems at All Things Food.

Photos

https://extension.missouri.edu/sites/default/files/legacy_media/wysiwyg/Extensiondata/NewsAdmin/Photos/2024/20240122-mg-4188.jpg

Garlic grows in a raised bed in a pantry garden at the MU Extension Center in St. Charles County.

https://extension.missouri.edu/media/wysiwyg/Extensiondata/NewsAdmin/Photos/2024/20240122-mg-6543.jpg

Master Gardeners raise several thousand pounds of produce each year at the MU Extension Center in St. Charles County. Produce is donated to an area food pantry.

https://extension.missouri.edu/sites/default/files/legacy_media/wysiwyg/Extensiondata/NewsAdmin/Photos/2024/20240122-mg-1096.jpg

A greenhouse plaque recognizes some contributors to the Help Save the Gardens campaign, which raised money to combat erosion threatening the pantry gardens at the MU Extension Center in St. Charles County.

https://extension.missouri.edu/sites/default/files/legacy_media/wysiwyg/Extensiondata/NewsAdmin/Photos/2024/20240122-mg-7788.jpg

Master Gardener Patty Dietrich harvests a sizable carrot from a garden on the grounds of the MU Extension Center in St. Charles County.

Writer: Katherine Foran