These past few years, many new clubs have been formed at school. Students may have heard announcements about the new bass fishing club or the new field hockey team. But what many people do not know is that one student recently started a gardening club. Elise Horbach, a senior, went to one of her teachers last year with a new idea for a club. Thus, the Veggie Lions were born! Horbach reached out to Mrs. Kathy Gallagher, Attendance Moderator. “Elise came to me, and I said it was a great idea, so we made it happen,” said Mrs. Gallagher.

So where did this great idea come from? Horbach thought of the idea the spring of her sophomore year on the bus ride home from a lacrosse game when they passed a community garden.

“I was sitting next to Mrs. Gallagher, and I shared my idea with her to start a community garden center at school where students could participate,” said Horbach. Starting the club was not too difficult either, as there is already a Viatorian Garden at the Province Center. Mrs. Gallagher made a call, obtained a plot of land, and they were good to go.

Horbach started asking around to see who would join, and right off the bat people were interested. Now there are twenty or so members of the club, including Horbach’s younger sister, sophomore Aubrey Horbach.

“I’m proud of my sister for putting all this together. It’s fun to get such a big group together and work for a cause as important as feeding the hungry,” said sophomore Aubrey Horbach.

The club grows tomatoes, cilantro, peppers, parsley, squash, and even zucchinis. They prepare the garden in the spring, weed throughout the year, and then harvest the foods in the summer. Their dedication and hard work pays off when they donate the food to help feed the hungry after it is harvested. Their first drop off was over one hundred pounds of zucchini at the Wheeling Food Pantry. And, if the satisfaction of helping feed the less fortunate was not enough, the kids in the club also get service hours for their hard work. If you have a passion for nature or are just looking for a new hobby, go check out the Veggie Lions and get your garden experience.