Did you know there is a thriving vegetable garden in the backyard of Shriners Hospitals for Children in Springfield, Massachusetts? Look beyond the wheelchair accessible playground and you’ll find a myriad of colorful vegetables. The idea for planting this overflowing vegetable garden was conceived on a bitterly cold, snowy winter day earlier this year.  Experiencing the winter chill in our bones, I sat with Eric Rogers, Director of Food Services and conceived the idea of a victory garden with vegetables and herbs to supplement the wonderful food offerings in the hospital café. We imagined offering meals with oven roasted squash side dishes and crisp cucumbers in the salads. The dream also included warm summer afternoons and rain showers to make it all ripen and grow.

In late May our plan was put into action. A delivery of pressure treated boards and a truck load of loam and compost were delivered for the makings of our garden. On a humid June 1, Eric Rogers, Sheila Marois, Linda Kraus and I planted the seeds and plants that Eric started in his own backyard. Laughing at an approaching storm, listening to the thunder, working quickly and efficiently, the garden crew put it all in the ground in just under an hour and ran into the hospital as large rain drops started to fall. Silly us, we thought the rain was a good thing at the time. Meanwhile, the storm was actually a fierce tornado that changed the landscape of the community and altered lives just a few blocks away. The irony was not lost; we were planting a garden while Mother Nature was tearing down trees and ravaging homes and businesses all over the community.

Our victory garden was spared and over the summer has grown lovely produce in gratitude for the reprise. Patients, families, staff and visitors have been enjoying yellow squash, zucchini, herbs, eggplant, peppers and cucumbers. The tomatoes are starting to turn red and pretty soon we’ll enjoy them in salads and other culinary creations from our own Chef Angie.

If you visit the hospital wander out back to our garden, pull a weed if you see one and say hello to our helpful neighbor who waters the garden during the dry times. Having an environmentally healthy hospital includes serving fresh local food.  At Shriners Hospital in Springfield it doesn’t get any fresher than this!

Submitted by:  Hermine Levey Weston, Director of Performance Improvement