University of Guelph students plan to help with the end-of-season cleanup at Priory Park Community Garden this weekend.

The volunteer event is part of U of G’s Project Serve, a community engagement initiative that sees students volunteer their time with worthy local organizations.

About 25 students will help clean up the 68 garden plots used by dozens of community members in Guelph.

Located on the grounds of Priory Park Baptist Church, the plots are part of Guelph’s broad community gardens network. Residents lacking access to a garden use the plots to grow their own produce, as do local organizations that provide produce to people who are food-insecure.

This year, the gardens saw substantial growth from rain and heat and some of the common areas of the garden have become overgrown. U of G students will help weed and mulch pathways and fence lines at the garden, sort materials into a composting area and prepare the orchard for winter.

The event is just the latest for Project Serve, which for more than 20 years has seen hundreds of U of G students head

Priory Park gardeninto the Guelph-Wellington community to volunteer with local service and not-for-profit organizations.

While putting the University’s “Improve Life” theme into practice, students gain volunteer experience and learn how to further engage with the community, while service organizations receive needed assistance and form connections with U of G students.

Students who want to learn more about Project Serve or its next event are encouraged to follow U of G Experiential Learning on Instagram and Twitter, check for events on GryphLife or visit the Student Volunteer Connections webpage.

Contact:

Helen Keen, local engagement coordinator
Experiential Learning Hub
keenh@uoguelph.ca