LYNNFIELD — The Village Home & Garden Club celebrated the start of its new year on Sept.12 with a themed meeting: “A Bountiful Gathering: Eat, Drink, and Be Thankful.” The meeting was held at the recently revamped Meeting House.
According to club member Jennifer Welter, everyone at the meeting contributed various dinner items to share, participated in a presentation by a local business owner, and actively collected food donations for the Wakefield Food Pantry.
Additionally, attendees engaged in a plant exchange, swapping specimens from their own cherished home gardens.
Welter said that the highlight of the inaugural meeting was the presentation made by Joseph Gaglione, one of the owners of the family-run Crystal Bee Supply and Essex County Honey Company in west Peabody. Gaglione said at the meeting that a dozen Lynnfield residents maintain hives on their properties.
“Gaglione provided information about bees as critical pollinators for plant and food production,” Welter said in an official statement. “In recent years individuals have become interested in beekeeping as both a hobby and conservation measure. Those simply interested in attracting more honeybees to their gardens can do so by planting catmint, bee balm, butterfly bush, autumn sedum, rose of sharon, scotch broom, phlox, and clover.”
In addition, Welter said that club members collaborated in gathering food donations for the Wakefield Food Pantry, which works in conjunction with the Boston Food Bank to address food insecurity and essential household needs of Wakefield residents. The pantry is designed as a miniature grocery store, complete with aisles stocked with dry goods, refrigerators and freezers containing dairy and meat, and abundant shelves brimming with fresh produce.
According to Welter, the Village Home & Garden Club of Lynnfield is a community and social organization comprising individuals from diverse backgrounds. Members come together on a monthly basis to share ideas and insights on home gardening, kindle a passion for creative floral arranging, actively participate in community beautification projects, and promote a culture of conservation.
