A huge thank you to the following organizations who help us make our programming possible each year!
Fund for North Bennington
Garden Club of Bennington
Kids Gardening
Ben & Jerry’s
New England Grassroots
Scotts Miracle-Gro
Vermont Community Foundation
Farm to School
Our "Farm to School" program allows Kindergarten through 6th grade students from The Village School of North Bennington to learn about organic farming, healthy eating and the environment.
Renovation
The renovation of the Hiland Hall Gardens began in the spring of 2007. The mission of the Friends of Hiland Hall Gardens is to restore, re-build and sustain the Gardens and the unique Victorian-style Grapery to their original splendor. Additionally, our goal is to re-establish these resources as a center for education, gardening and gardeners in the greater Bennington area. Along with the renovation of the Gardens and Grapery, our commitment is to create a garden where community will grow alongside flowers, grapes, herbs and pumpkins.
Internships
Our internship program runs from June through the end of August each Summer. The program encourages local high school students to take part in a 6 week paid internship with a focus on learning gardening, harvesting and food preparation. To apply, please send an email to TFOHHG@gmail.com
Fantastic Food Bundles
In Summer 2020, in response to the urgent need in our community by local families for fresh foods, the FOHHG created the “Fantastic Foods” program, which distributes free baskets of fresh produce along with recipe cards to families in need in the community. Each basket includes recipe cards filled with easy, simple recipes that could be made using the contents of each basket. Additionally, FOHHG partnered with the Robert Frost House Distribution Center to donate produce to local food pantries such as The Kitchen Cupboard and Grateful Hearts, among others. Finally, FOHHG partnered with Willy’s Variety Store to donate to their fresh produce refrigerator, which is available to residents in the community for free or a reduced price!
Swim, Camp, Grow!
In partnership with Lake Paran, the Hiland Hall Gardens are hosting “Swim, Camp, Grow” Summer camp! We are thrilled to be offering activities in the garden, which include, growing delicious foods, learning about Vermonts awesome natural food resources and cooking yummy recipes!
Hiland Hall Gardens & Meals on Wheels of Bennington
When the COVID-19 pandemic began, the Friends of Hiland Hall Gardens established a partnership with our local Meals on Wheels where we are providing fresh vegetables that are used in their daily meal production.
Beginning in Summer 2021, our coordinator and students will be growing and delivering food to Meals On Wheels of Bennington, which serves more than 5,000 meals per week.
The collaboration between our non-profit, The Village of North Bennington, private donors and citizens along with The Village School of North Bennington, makes us a unique and successful model for pooling resources towards the common good of the community!
