Summary of 2025 Annual Report

Dear Editor,  
The River Valley Area Community Gardens Inc. has successfully completed its 10th growing season.
The goals of the Gardens include to relieve food scarcity through providing plots to families, including free plots to the families who qualify, providing produce to the local food pantry and others in need, and to educate people about gardening and growing healthy food for consumption.

This year there were 57 Gardeners in 88 plots with 3 gardeners renting elevated garden beds.   Four families received free plots.  Registration for garden plots is currently open for the coming season.
The Gardens donated 4080 lbs of produce to the Community Food Pantry of Spring Green, the Arena Food Pantry, the Meadows Assisted Living and Memory Care, Greenway Terrace, 3 child day cares in the area, and the River Valley Intermediate School lunch program as well as leaving produce in the kiosk on N. Westmor Str. 

The Youth Gardening program is one of our primary education projects.  In 2025, the Busy Bees program, for children ages 3 to 10, had 33 children from 19 families participate in the 8-week summer program.  We had 12 children in our Junior Gardener program for students in grades 5 through 12.  We provided a 10 x 50 ft plot for the Before/After School program students in the RV School District to plant and harvest veggies and flowers for their classroom.  Approximately 40 sudents participated. The local Girl Scout troop of 6 girls also gardened a plot with us.  Registration for the 2026 Busy Bees and the Junior Gardening programs will officially open in March.  Interested families may be added to our waiting list by contacting us.

Our website and Facebook pages continue to be sources for gardening information.
We have enjoyed using our new equipment shed that you all helped us build through your donations at our fundraisers over the years.

As we prepare to start our second decade, we are looking forward to meeting and helping gardeners grow healthy food crops, working with our youth to instill a love of nature and interest in gardening, planning more gardening education opportunities, installing a new Gardens sign, and helping to eliminate food scarcity in the Valley.

A special thank you to all our gardeners who work to keep the Gardens looking lovely, and harvest produce, to our donors, direct, in-kind, or fundraiser attendees, who help us keep the Gardens growing through their contributions, and to the local businesses who support our efforts.

The complete 2025 Annual Report for the River Valley Area Community Gardens is posted on our web site at www.rvacg.org

If you would like to volunteer to help with the Gardens or contact us, you may do so at [email protected], text 608-588-6040, or message us through our Facebook page. 

At any time you may wander through the Gardens located in the 900 block of N. Westmor, Spring Green to check out various gardening techniques, enjoy our flower gardens and relax in nature.
Again thank you to the River Valley community for supporting the RVACG.
​
Sincerely,
Rose Ellen Schneider
President, River Valley Area Community Gardens