MSHS is pleased to welcome Maria Brosofske as the new coordinator of the Garden-in-a-Box (GIAB) program. Maria has a bachelor’s degree in agriculture and design from the University of Minnesota, and for the past 10 years has worked as a floral designer. She’s had a passion for plants, art and gardening from an early age, and started helping her father in his garden at the age of 7.

“I’m so happy to be a part of the team at MSHS,” says Maria. “I was particularly drawn to the GIAB program because I understand the importance of growing your own food, and I want to share my knowledge and understanding of plants with program participants.”

Now in its eleventh year, GIAB provides raised bed vegetable garden kits to community groups, organizations and schools that serve low-income or at-risk children and families throughout Minnesota.

Maria is excited by the expected growth of the program this year. “In 2019, we hope to increase the total number of GIAB kits distributed to 500!,” she says. “We’ll have a total of five pick-up distribution sites in the Twin Cities, Rochester, Wadena, New Ulm, and one more site in the northern part of the state.”

According to Maria, visiting participants at their sites to assess the results of their efforts and offer gardening advice is crucial for the success of the program, and she encourages MSHS members to get involved by volunteering to visit GIAB sites this season.

This article originally appeared in the May/June 2019 issue of Northern Gardener® magazine.