Washington County Shelter Residents Plant Bulbs to Spruce up the Campus

While snow will soon cover the ground around McKeesport, hiding any sign of green for many months of winter, the Washington County shelter kids have something to look forward to in the spring at Auberle. This November, the kids staying in Auberle’s Washington county shelter had the exciting opportunity to experience the installment of a perennial garden behind Auberle’s main campus, where they planted 200 daffodil bulbs. Not only was this a new and fun opportunity for many of the kids, but the staff utilized this opportunity to teach the kids about math and agriculture throughout the process. Prior to starting the project, the kids worked through the math of how many daffodils to plant in a 75-foot linear area with 5 bulbs going in each hole. The staff showed them how deep to dig the holes and how far apart to plant the bulbs. Each kid was also given the opportunity to operate a power auger. In the spring, all of the kids involved in the project will be invited back to see the beautiful garden blooming behind Auberle. This garden is just one of many steps that Auberle is taking to “Go Green”. Auberle staff, volunteers, and students have already built a series of compost bins, planted seeds for wildlife and begun to create an organic garden behind the Auberle Education Center.