— by Shannon Middleton
Before the opening hour they were lined up: gardeners, plant enthusiasts, and even those with black-thumbs who just wanted to show their support for the Ocean Shores Food Bank. The 2nd Annual Ocean Shores Plant Sale on May 1st drew people from all over town and some from out of town. Even the sun put in an appearance, the expected rain held off, making it a great day to have a plant sale.
And sales were swift. Plants sold so quickly there was talk among volunteers staffing the event that the sale, which started at 9am and was supposed to run until 3pm, might be over by noon. Half of the plants 600 plants were sold within the first 90 minutes.
“We live in an amazing community and that was apparent last Saturday when, with great enthusiasm, the population came, viewed and bought over 450 plants,” said Judy Mitchel, Vice President of Program Services for the Ocean Shores Food Bank and Plant Committee Chair.
A benefit for the Ocean Shores Food Bank, the plant sale generated $8,159 and $6,895 was raised in donations, according to Sandy Harley, Executive Director of the food bank.
Additionally, Ocean Sunset Drug the site host, donated $2,500 toward the purchase of plants and goods. Jackie Fischer and Ocean Sunset Drug have been ongoing supporters of the food bank and the sale was one such example of her tremendous contribution to fighting hunger in the community.
Volunteers from the food bank worked tirelessly to organize the sale. They contributed 350 plants, some of which they grew themselves, and handmade some of the yard art that was available for purchase. The selection of plants included everything from hanging baskets of bright fuchsias, to herb and veggie starts. Ever popular succulents made up a large and interesting portion of the sale, too. Truly, there was something for every gardener.
An estimated 100 to 150 volunteer hours went into coordinating and planning to make the sale possible. Other food bank volunteers literally did the heavy lifting, bringing out and setting up tables for the plants. Then, in closing, they repeated the process in reverse. Some also carted plants by wagon out to community members’ cars.
A Master Gardener was available on site to answer questions and was constantly surrounded by eager listeners. Her presence was certainly an added bounce to the sale.
Other business sponsors included Lavender Hill, Garden Starts Nursery, Roadhouse Nursery, Ace Hardware, Garden By the Sea and Master Gardeners.
In case you missed the sale, or just want more, unsold plants are still available at Ocean Sunset Drug.
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