Gardeners plan fundraiser at Chili’s
Master Gardeners of North Alabama will conduct a fundraiser at Chili’s, 4925 University Drive, on Sept. 20. In this photo, gardeners are helping children with crafts at a Master Gardener event. CONTRIBUTED
MADISON – Residents can ‘spice it up’ and enjoy a fun evening at “Chili’s Give Back Night,” a fundraiser for Master Gardeners of North Alabama (MGNA).
“Come on out to Chili’s, 4925 University Drive in Huntsville, on Sept. 20 between 5 and 8 p.m. to support the Master Gardeners,” publicist Sue Khoury said. Khoury serves as vice president of Master Gardeners of North Alabama and chairperson of publicity.
“We will have our ‘Ask a Master Gardener’ folks and other members on hand to answer any master gardener or gardening questions you may have,” Khoury said. “Enjoy a scrumptious meal, and Chili’s will donate 10 percent of profits to Master Gardeners of North Alabama to help in our community projects. Bring all your family members and friends and eat heartily.”
An all-volunteer organization, MGNA supports the community in various ways, including volunteering at Huntsville Botanical Garden, Adopt-A-Spot, Habitat for Humanity, Huntsville Senior Center, city and county schools, Harvest for Health, along with hosting public workshops and public events throughout Madison County.
“Last year, we donated nearly a ton of fresh food grown in our Demonstration Vegetable Garden to CASA (Care Assurance System for the Aging and Homebound of Madison County) and the Food Bank of North Alabama,” Khoury said. “The gardeners also volunteer thousands of hours of support to the botanical garden every year.”
In city and county schools, MGNA members assist in plantings and work in outdoor classrooms for environmental and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) studies. “With Habitat for Humanity, we handle landscape plantings and conduct maintenance classes,” Khoury said.
Master gardeners keep their communities clean and litter-free by maintaining several Adopt-A-Spot locations in Madison and Huntsville. MGNA’s public workshops answer an array of landscape and gardening questions at convenient sites, like Dublin Park in Madison.
The Master Gardeners of North Alabama organization has supported the Alabama Cooperative Extension System since 1988. For more information, visit mginfo.org or Facebook/MGofNA.