Mayor Tony Perry and Clean Communities Coordinator Jessi Ticino met with community gardener and all-around busy bee Antoinette Ingulli to thank her for her generous donations to the Middletown Community Garden (MCG). Aside from being an avid gardener, Antoinette is a skilled beekeeper and was the driving force behind the MCG beekeeping program. She and her volunteer “Bee Squad” dutifully tended to the honeybees as they pollinated flowers and vegetable plants within a mile radius of the community garden. The hives were such a success that the team harvested over 50 jars of honey, allowing Antoinette to purchase and donate garden carts, kneeling stools, and benches to the MCG. These items will provide accessibility for gardeners with mobility issues for many seasons to come!
The beekeeping team plans to add more hives in 2023 and will donate the honey to local food banks along with the weekly food donations from her fellow gardeners. A huge thank you to Antoinette and the Bee Squad for their hard work and generosity!