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Neighbors | Jessica Harker .Members of the Men's Garden Club of Mahoning County met at Fellows Riverside Garden for their monthly meeting on May 1.
By JESSICA HARKER
The Youngstown chapter of the Men’s Garden Club hosted its monthly meeting at Fellows Riverside Gardens on May 1.
John Schinker, former three-term president of the group, said that the club hosts presentations every month about various gardening topics.
“They are always open to the public,” Schinker said. “We love having people come out.”
The group currently has around 80 members, with dues for the new year still coming in according to Schinker. He said that yearly dues are $25 and help support the club in their various community projects.
“We really work to engage the community and bringing gardening to everyone,” Schinker said.
The group uses a greenhouse to grow a variety of plants locally.
Schinker said that they host an annual sale of the plants that they grow which helps with funding the organizations community work as well.
In the past the group has started gardens all over the Youngstown area, including at Akron Children’s Hospital.
“We got that one off the ground years ago, and they have really taken it and ran with it,” Schinker said.
The Men’s Garden Club also sponsors a horticulture show at Mill Creek Park each year, which includes a variety of plants on display.
The group has been in existence in the area since 1930, according to Schinker, who said that they started as the Steel City Men’s Garden Club.
The group was later renamed, and eventually were able to find a home in the Mill Creek MetroParks.
“It’s the center of gardening and horticulture in the area so it was a perfect place for us,” he said.
The group’s next meeting take place on June 3 at Fellows Riverside Gardens.
“The purpose of The Men’s Garden Club of Youngstown is to create a better understanding of gardening and to encourage and promote the beautification of our community,” Schinker said.