Chicken Broil donates toward Klager Elementary’s new greenhouse!

The Chicken Broil chairs presented a check to help pay for Klager’s new greenhouse. Back row: (left to right) Gary Bross, Ellen Supers, and Jeff Mann. They were joined by Klager students. Photo courtesy of Klager Elementary School.

by Sara Swanson

Luther C. Klager Elementary School is starting work on a brand new greenhouse this month with financial help from Manchester Chicken Broil. Chicken Broil chairs Gary Bross and Jeff Mann presented a check for $6,573 two weeks ago, which was accepted on behalf of the school by STEM teacher Ellen Supers.

The new 20’ x 36’ greenhouse will be located next to the school playground and will be equipped with vented, natural gas heaters, commercial-grade exhaust fans with shutters, and a thermostat to provide weather-proof temperature control. Supers explained that it will be used as an extension of the Klager gardening program created by Ruth VanBogelen and will be used in support of Klager’s Community Garden plot and Klager’s Annual Vegetable Sale. She added that that the supplies are scheduled to arrive next week and the maintenance team has already begun clearing the site with the goal of having construction on the greenhouse finished before winter.

The Klager greenhouse project was selected for funding early in the year. Mann stated, “We have a meeting in the beginning of the year to go through any donation requests that have been received and make a determination of where to spend that year’s profits. We are looking for larger projects that would not normally be funded by an organization and something that benefits the community.” Last year they helped fund the new Senior Center construction and upgrades to the Alumni Field Pavilion roof. In 2022 and 2023 they funded the pickleball/tennis/basketball courts in Chi-Bro Park.

In addition to the Chicken Broil, 5 Healthy Towns Foundation through the Manchester Wellness Coalition is providing $9,000 for the greenhouse, and the Manchester Men’s Club is helping with the build.

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by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and a founder of the Manchester Mirror.