The Second Company Governor’s Horse Guard and the Newtown Parks & Recreation department have partnered in support of the town’s Victory Garden.

The partnership resulted in a compost donation made by the Second Company Governor’s Horse Guard to the Victory Garden and delivered by the Newtown Parks & Recreation Department on April 24. It is expected to be an annual endeavor of support.

“This is a wonderful thing, and it will really help the garden,” said Victory Garden committee member Barbara Richardson, standing with fellow committee members Gail Friedman and Mark Forstrom, Parks & Recreation Director Amy Mangold, Newtown Parks & Recreation Parks Maintainer Tom Pendergast, andSecond Company Governor’s Horse Guard PR Correspondent First Lieutenant Marion Lynott and retired Lieutenant Colonel Steve deFriesse on April 24.

The spring sun emphasized the green grass surrounding the group as the partnership for the endeavor became solid with the first bucket loader scoop of compost into a Newtown Parks & Recreation truck bed at 21 Old Farm Road. From there, the compost would be driven across the Fairfield Hill Campus to the Victory Garden, a short drive for what Pendergast said is a donation that will go “a long way” for the garden.

The Second Company Governor’s Horse Guard held a compost drive fundraiser on April 17 and 24 that was open to the public, and that drive led to the new partnership for the garden.

Mangold, walking down the main corridor at the Second Company Governor’s Horse Guard’s barn just moments before the gathering at the compost site, explained she and First Lt Lynott were thinking of ways for the Horse Guard and Newtown Parks & Recreation Department to work together when the compost drive inspired the partnership. The Newtown Parks & Recreation department generally spends about $600 a year on fertilizer for the Victory Garden, she said, adding that the donation will save that amount each year.

After meeting up with Mangold, Lt Lynott explained from inside a horse stall that the Second Company Governor’s Horse Guard has not held its compost drive in a couple years. It was started up again this year to raise money for the Horse Guard, as participating in parades and other efforts were not possible in the pandemic.

The Second Company Governor’s Horse Guard’s compost drive was sponsored by the Friends of 2GHG, Inc, 501(c)(3).

“It is a wonderful way they will be supporting and giving back to the town, the garden, and the community,” Mangold said in a recent e-mail.

In a released statement, Lt Col deFriesse said, “I’ve been working on this compost for the past few years and I’m really happy that Lt Lynott and Amy connected to coordinate this delivery to the Victory Garden. It makes the work more rewarding to know that the Newtown food pantries will be benefiting from this collaboration, and we hope to make this an annual partnership.”

Lt Lynott shared in an e-mail following the event that the compost drive will be held again in September “for any gardeners who missed the spring event, or for those looking for an additional boost for their garden in the fall.”