Last fall, the Board of Directors of the Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts agreed to participate with the Franklin Park Zoo in a special and unique garden initiative named the Organic Garden Project (OGP). The garden will raise food for the animals to offset the annual food costs. The Garden Club Federation’s role is to provide volunteers.

• In April, the Franklin Park Zoo in Boston established their rotating horticulture garden at the zoo to grow varieties of nutritious greens and other crops to feed the gorillas, anteaters, giraffes, zebras, birds and more. Now volunteers are needed from June through August 2014 to sow seeds, water and harvest the crops.

• The zoo needs a maximum of three volunteers each day to support this 50’ x 60′ garden.

• Volunteers may sign up for two hour shifts from 10 am – 12 noon on Mondays and Wednesdays beginning June 2nd through August 27th.

Please sign up to volunteer to help.  Organize a group to volunteer every Monday and Wednesday for a month this summer. If you belong to a club with a youth gardeners’ group, encourage them to volunteer as a summer activity (volunteers must be 14 years or older).

It is so easy to sign up.
To volunteer, go to: www.SignUpGenius.com/go/10C0B4AACA72BA5FF2-zoonew and enter the information requested. For more information, contact Ali Fioretti, Volunteer Coordinator for Zoo New England. She can be reached by email (afioretti@zoonewengland.com) or phone at 617-989-2017 or 617-259-4360.

This is an exciting and amazing opportunity for our members to help Zoo New England… and the animals that will be fed by your efforts!