We are so grateful to M.R. Tree for delivering wood-chips to the parking lot we share with Heritage Hall for the free use of anyone in the Monroe area. (The Sharing Gardens - 664 Orchard St.)
Here are a few guidelines to make this work for the whole community:
-Take from the front of the pile (closest to Orchard St.). Then, when the Tree-people drop off more, there's room at the front for them to drop their load.
- Share with your neighbors. If you take a large load, wait a few days before coming for another load so that people who have busy schedules have a chance to get some too. If the pile doesn't get any smaller after a week, feel free to come back for more.
Sticks: If there are un-chipped sticks in the pile and you don't wish to take them, please make a neat pile to one side or the other that will make it easy for us to dispose of them.
Thank you for your cooperation. With your help we can make this program sustainable for the community to enjoy for a long time.
Though our initial purpose for forming the Sharing Gardens was to provide free fruits and vegetables to food charities, we've always wanted our project to be helpful and relevant to other folks in our community who don't shop at the Food Pantry. In the last few years, we found a way.
A free wood-chip pick-up and drop-off site!
We share a large parking lot with the S. Benton Food Pantry which provides easy access both for the chip-trucks and neighbors with trailers to turn around in.
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| The Sharing Gardens shares a large parking lot with the Community Center/Food Pantry next door. |
This program has benefits for everyone involved: it saves the tree companies the time to drive an extra 25 miles to the closest municipal-scale composting facility, and the money they charge for yard-waste deposits ($70/load!). And our neighbors have a reliable source of free wood-chips at an easily accessible site.
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| Tree companies are able to easily drop off a load of wood chips and our neighbors also can get close for loading. |
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| Sandra and Jenny help Jim load wood chips onto his trailer. |
