The Perry Community Garden at New Opportunities has been selected to receive a grant from Hy-Vee’s One Step program.

Perry Hy-Vee Event and Community Involvement Coordinator Larry Vodenik says the garden, which helps supply fresh, free produce to the Perry Food Pantry, is beginning its second growing season and they’re excited to have some extra money to help support the efforts.

“Part of it is going to be used because we have to buy new tomato plants every year and things like that.  So part of it is going to be going to buy seeds, part of it will be going toward live plants to start that and compost, things like that, fertilizer.  Just things that we need for the garden.”

Vodenik says they also hope to use some of the funds to bring a water line up to the garden to make the watering process much easier for volunteers.

The $1,000 grant is one of 164 Hy-Vee is awarding this spring.  The money comes from the One Step program, particularly the sale of One Step Russet Potatoes, where for each bag a customer purchases, five cants goes toward the fund.