LEXINGTON PARK, Md. – Southern Maryland Sierra Club and the Rotary Club of Lexington Park are proud to announce a partnership to help address issues of food insecurity in St. Mary’s County.
Since 2020, the Southern Maryland Sierra Club has been working with local houses of worship and non-profits around the region to build vegetable gardens to provide fresh, nutritious produce to those in need. Efforts have led to the construction of twenty eight vegetable garden beds in Calvert and Charles Counties that provide hundreds of pounds of fresh food per season to those in need.
“Our partnership with the Rotary Club of Lexington Park is helping us grow our garden project, and expand it into St. Mary’s County,” said Southern Maryland Sierra Club Chair Benjamin Hance. “The support of their members, so dedicated to improving the community, along with financial support in the form of a generous $2000 grant, will allow us to increase our impact, build many new gardens, and provide fresh, nutritious food to those who need it most.”
The Sierra Club is the largest, oldest, and most successful grassroots environmental organization in America, with over 3.8 million supporters nationwide. In Southern Maryland, the Sierra Club has 5000 supporters in the tri-county area. The organization focuses on issues of environmental and public health, sustainability, equity, and justice and supports efforts of advocacy, natural education, and community service throughout the region.
The Rotary Club of Lexington Park is a membership organization made up of local business, professional and civic leaders (working and retired) who share a common desire to provide service to our community. Supporting their motto of “Service Above Self”, Rotary Club is one of the largest and most influential service organizations in the world.
“It is an absolute honor to work with the Rotary Club of Lexington Park,” said Hance. “Our two organizations have shared values and long histories of service. Together we can make great strides to help make Southern Maryland a place of sustainable, healthy, and just community for all.”
Any organizations who may wish to participate in this program, either as recipients of gardens or to volunteer their time and resources, should reach out to the Southern Maryland Sierra Club via email at southernmaryland@mdsierra.org.