CORNWALL – Gardeners, on your marks!
Those with a green thumb will be able to get a jump on the gardening season this weekend with Bark and Compost Day – a joint effort between the City of Cornwall and the Cornwall and District Horticultural Society.
It runs from 8:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m., rain or shine, on Saturday (May 12) at the Cornwall landfill site at 2590 Cornwall Centre Road.
The wood mulch and compost is $3 a bag or $25 a scoop, with $15 for each additional scoop.
There was $4,003 raised last year, which was matched by Scotiabank with another $4,000. But a change in the bank’s corporate donations this year will mean that match isn’t there.
Community support will mean more than ever, organizers explained, as the proceeds go back into the community, such as the planter boxes on the Three Nations Bridge at the base of Brookdale Avenue. A portion of the sales ($1 per compost purchase) also goes to the Children’s Christmas Fund Cereal Drive.
The wood mulch on site is from trees removed and chipped by the city, Waste Management Supervisor Danielle Watson explained.
Getting ready for the event, pre-bagging will be happening today (Friday) at the landfill site from noon until 4 p.m. Horticultural Society President Sandra Mitchell says students looking to get their volunteer hours can get involved today or Saturday and the club will sign off on their hours.
This is the 13th year for the event, which is the club’s biggest yearly fundraiser.
If you need more information or you’re a student looking to volunteer, call Lynn Blanchard at 613-330-7460.