The four-member board is lucky to have the backup of many talented volunteers who wanted to take on specific tasks for the club.
They include:
Community Liaison Angelita Llerena, who has been with the club for more than a decade, and has helped WGC reach out to Windsor's Spanish-speaking community, as well as businesses who support the club. She also coordinates the gleaning and harvest of the Town Green Community Garden's three Food Pantry beds, as well as other club and community garden donations to the Food Bank as needed.
Education Liaison Jeanne Knapp, who works with local schools to promote applications for the scholarship the club has funded at Santa Rosa Junior College. The scholarship offers between $500 and $1,000 per year to Windsor high school grads in environmental, ag, or biological science-related majors. She also works with the community and local schools seeking to use WGC's Town Green Community Garden for field trips or lessons on plants and the environment.
The Town Green Community Garden Administration Committee Members.
These volunteers all rent beds in the community garden, and also help manage and run the garden.
While everyone does a bit of everything, these key volunteers generally handle the following areas in the community garden:
Angelita Llerena, Latino Community and Food Pantry Liaison
Cindy Fenton: irrigation, plus support of the Community Butterfly Garden off the Town Green parking lot.
Jeanne Knapp, Community Education, Open Garden Days.
Mary Mariani, Rental Bed Management, Rose Pruning, Master Gardener projects.
Kathy Matonak, Windsor High School student gardening skills development and student service projects; Sonoma County Master Gardener workshops; oversight of Master Gardener Demonstration Beds( Nos. 54 & 55).
Rob Rusert, irrigation & construction build/repair needs.
The Garden Administration Committee members below are the people to talk to if you have questions about the community garden, whether you're a club member, a teacher, a garden plot rentor, or just a community member interested in the Town Green Community Garden. Feel free to drop them an email or seek them out in the community garden at Second Saturday work mornings between 9 a.m. and noon in the summertime:
Cindy Fenton: cfenton1957@gmail.com
Jeanne Knapp: jeanneknapp@gmail.com
Mary Mariani: marymariani1052@gmail.com
Kathy Matonak: kathy.matonak@gmail.com
Windsor Garden Club is currently looking for a few more volunteers (and members). We'd love to find someone to send a note containing a WGC Membership card to new members, say hello, and make sure they're aware of club discounts that come with the card, and answer any questions. (A membership or hospitality volunteer.)
And we'd love to find someone to think of and reach out to interesting speakers who could come give a free presentation to club members, gardeners, and the general public. (An activities volunteer.)
Windsor Garden Club currently has 10 paid members, down from about 25 pre-Covid. If you're interested in meeting other Windsor neighbors who enjoy gardening, giving and getting garden advice, and learning new things about the local environment, join us! Email us anytime at officers@windsorgardenclub.org.
- Teresa Mariani Hendrix, Prez.
