Community spirit grows in Cummins’ Giving Garden

During the warm spring and summer months, groups of Jamestown Engine Plant (JEP) employees step away from the engine assembly line and into the Giving Garden.

Crisp zucchini, zesty peppers and tangy onions are just a few of the vegetables growing in the Giving’ Garden’s 16 vegetable beds. The vegetables are harvested and donated to St. Susan Center, a local soup kitchen in Jamestown, New York.

The tenders of the garden are JEP employees who work the evening shift. They step out in groups of four to five to water the veggies, pull weeds and care for the garden.

“It takes a lot of time, but it gets everybody outside. We always go out in the evening around six o’clock and work until after dark,” Marilyn Hoyt, head of the Giving Garden said.

This year, a JEP employee and her family donated starter plants from their local nursery to the Giving Garden. Operators on the off shift at JEP will not only have the opportunity to tend these plants at the Giving Garden but will also be able to take home a “starter kit” to harvest their own garden. Hoyt hopes that the experience will encourage employees to volunteer at the garden and St. Susan Center.

Last year, 508 pounds of vegetables were harvested and donated to St. Susan Center. Volunteers from the plant harvest the vegetables and deliver them to the soup kitchen twice a week between the end of May and the end of September. Hoyt plans to extend the garden’s work schedule to include the weekends this year to give operators even more opportunities to volunteer.

Hoyt has been managing the garden for seven years and says it’s never difficult to get volunteers. “We get a lot of participation. People love to go out there,” she said. “It’s a nice break from the line, too. It’s right outside, and they don’t have to drive anywhere .”

Lined with picnic tables and baskets of flowers, the Giving Garden is a pleasant place to spend a summer night. Hoyt says employees will sit by the garden on breaks, even when they’re not working in it.

In addition to donating vegetables from the garden, JEP employees also volunteer to cook and serve at St. Susan Center, as well as host clothing and canned food drives in the winter.

The Giving Garden took root at JEP 15 years ago and has been growing ever since. It’s just one of the many ways Cummins is making local communities better. In the future, Hoyt hopes to expand the garden to include fruit alongside vegetables.