COVID-19 can’t stop the Mitzvah Garden at Temple Beth David in Cheshire. With appropriate social distancing procedures in place, the 2020 season of the Mitzvah Garden is in full swing. The need for donations to local food pantries during the pandemic has been high, especially for fresh produce. Therefore, volunteers felt that the need for the Mitzvah Garden was as important as ever.

The Mitzvah Garden is an award-winning, 1,156-sqaure-foot, impeccable growing space established in 2011. The garden was planned with perfect orientation and soil, superior irrigation, and well-thought crop rotation and companion planting. As of the final harvest of 2019, the garden has yielded 16,121 pounds of produce! Temple Beth David has donated the fresh vegetables to Cheshire Community Food Pantry, Masters Manna (Wallingford), St. Vincent DePaul Soup Kitchen (Waterbury), Shelter Now (Meriden), Jewish Family Service (New Haven), Southington Food Pantry and The Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen (New Haven).

Temple Beth David is 200-families strong, and takes tremendous pride in the Mitzvah Garden. It has been recognized by the Cheshire Town Beautification Committee and received the 2016 Beauty Spot of the Month Award (Cheshire Garden Club).