HELENA — On Tuesday, August 8, Shodair Children’s Hospital received a greenhouse as part of a service project from Ace Hardware.
“This is something that’s been talked about for a long time and with our new building it was just the right time for it to happen,” said Craig Aasved, the CEO of Shodair Children’s Hospital.
Ace Hardware employees and representatives helped to build and furbish the hospital's new greenhouse. They added shelves, racks, vents and a sink inside.
Patients at the hospital already enjoy growing food in a small garden. The greenhouse will help them to expand the experience.
Gardening is a great tool the hospital uses according to Shodair staff.
“It’s a huge relaxation thing for kids. It’s a stress reliever. It also helped them connect better with their community,” said Bridgette Wiegand, a recreational therapist at Shodair Children’s Hospital.
Many of the staff members at Shodair have heard a lot of excitement from the patients.
“I’ve heard a lot of excitement from the kids. they’re really excited to learn how to grow things,” Wiegand said, “We’ve talked about making our own pasta sauce and they’ve been super excited to learn how that whole process works.”
Ace Hardware employees say they are more than happy to help the kids get their hands dirty.
“It’s just nice to get your hands in the dirt always. Everybody benefits from a little bit of sunshine and the smell of soil, and if you get a zucchini at the end that’s a sweet bonus,” said James Morley, the General Manager at Timberline Ace Hardware.
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