Cincinnati Eastside Rotary volunteers, from left, Greg Sojka, Michelle Hamilton, Mary Eisnaugle, Michelle Edwards and Andrea Patacca, at the community garden in Batavia Twp.
In spring of 2010, faculty and staff who were planning Earth Day at the University of Cincinnati Clermont College located in Batavia, resolved to develop a small community garden to help serve those in need.

The inaugural 25’ x 25’ space yielded 381 pounds of produce which was donated to area nonprofits who managed distribution.

The community garden has grown by a factor of nearly ten from these humble beginnings. In 2014, volunteers from the Cincinnati Eastside Rotary spear-headed an effort to erect a storage shed near the garden to store essential tools for the garden upkeep.

During the summer and fall of 2016, volunteers from Cincinnati Eastside Rotary joined other community volunteers to assist with watering, weeding and harvesting. Rotary worked in teams to provide this essential upkeep of the community garden.

“100 percent of the produce raised will be donated to area food pantries and soup kitchens in order to help alleviate hunger in the region,” said Cincinnati Eastside Rotary President Eric Radtke. “The community garden is an opportunity to come together as a team and quite literally ‘get our hands dirty’ for a great cause.”

Cincinnati-Eastside Rotary engages in fellowship, service and education each Wednesday during luncheon meetings that begin at noon at Ivy Hills Country Club in Newtown. Its members represent a vast range of business, non-profit and government leaders striving to improve communities. For more information or to join, please visit www.CincinnatiEastsideRotary.org.

About Rotary:

Rotary brings together a global network of volunteer leaders dedicated to tackling the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges. Rotary connects 1.2 million members of more than 34,000 Rotary clubs in over 200 countries and geographical areas. Their work improves lives at both the local and international levels, from helping families in need in their own communities to working toward a polio-free world.