Church group helps with garden

Several members of Matthews Memorial Presbyterian Church joined other gardening enthusiasts at the Ben Richey Boys Ranch Albany campus this past Sunday to help the boys get their garden started.

“There were around 20 volunteers, plus our group,” said campus director Mike Bean. “They got here right after church, we had snacks and a light lunch, and then we all went to work. It was around 5:30 or 6:00 p.m. before the last ones left.”

One of those workers was organizer Alicia Burton.

“We had two loads of mulch hauled in from Abilene recycling,” said Burton. “Gary Deckor out of Stamford loaned a dump truck for one load, and Kathryn and Steven Sutton hauled a load in their dump trailer. Connie Kilburn, who owns H & H Garden Center in Breckenridge, donated seeds and plants.”

Six of the 20 trees planted last year needed to be replaced, and Womack Nursery in DeLeon provided them at a discount.

The trees seemed fine last spring, summer, and fall, and continued looking good until they were noticed by some of the local wildlife.

“The deer really tore up some of those little trees, big time,” said Bean. “We’ve put cages around the others to protect them.”

Along with replacing half a dozen trees, seeds and seedlings were planted in the garden.

“The boys worked, but I think they will enjoy reaping in the benefits come harvest time more than the work on Sunday,” said Bean. “I was one of the mulch shovelers.”

Bean added that he and the 11 boys at the ranch are grateful for all of the assistance.

“We are celebrating our 15th anniversary in Albany this year,” Bean said. “We so appreciate the people of Albany and the community involvement as you continue to help us help the boys.”