Using the expansive Community Giving Garden at the Northland Arboretum as the home base, Community Giving is a multi-faceted project that is making a real impact in Crow Wing County. With food security and education as its main objective, over half of the Crow Wing County Master Gardener Volunteers are involved in one or more components of this project, including:
• The Bedding Plant Project: Beginning in February, volunteers start carefully chosen, long-season vegetable varieties. In 2025, over 600 bedding plants were started for use in the various pillars of the project.
• Patio Garden project: An initiative to get those without access to green space to grow their own food, volunteers plant various seedlings and lettuce to make edible planters. In 2025, 250 balcony-size gardens were distributed to various organizations throughout Crow Wing County for redistribution to their clients and guests.
• Giving Gardens: Volunteers grow food and work closely with area food shelves to distribute fresh herbs, vegetables, and even some fruit to those in our communities who need it the most. Since 2020 over 16,000 pounds (4,500 pounds in 2025) of fresh produce has been distributed to food shelves and organizations throughout Crow Wing County.
To accommodate both the increase in G101 attendees and the and additional Giving Garden space, the garden area expansion and renovation was completed in 2025. These changes occurred with the support from the Northland Arboretum Board of Directors, Northland Arboretum Maintenance Crew, Crow Wing Master Gardeners and volunteers. Financial support for the expansion and renovation was provided by Affinity Plus Credit Union, Wings Financial Foundation, Sourcewell, Operation Roundup, Mid-Minnesota Credit Union, Crow Wing Energized Healthy Living and an anonymous donor.
