Gabe Fosdick, 17, was one of about a dozen youths volunteering their time with Fishbone Ministries to work on a number of community projects.

The former Island playground in Butler was bustling Monday, even though the basketball hoops and swingsets are long gone.

Fishbone Ministries of Butler is getting help this week from volunteers from a Michigan church to clean up the property and prepare it for a community garden.

Eagle Printing Co., publisher of the Butler Eagle and Cranberry Eagle, which owned the property, donated the site to the ministry and supports the project.

“We've been given the property,” said Tom Bowser, ministry founder. “One of the visions is to have a community garden, which will happen next year.”

Volunteers from Midland Evangelical Free Church in Midland, Mich., are spending this week converting an old pavilion into a garden shed, painting the fencing and cleaning debris from the basketball courts.

The next step is to prepare 15 raised flower beds for vegetables that will be planted next spring.

“After discussion with the Eagle Media board, it was decided that since we had no future plans for the use of the property, it would be very positive for the community and especially the families on the island if we donated the land to a church organization such as Fishbone Ministries,” said Ron Vodenichar, Eagle president and publisher.

“They were already involved with the kids living in the neighborhood and even owned some property here. We trust that Mr. Bowser and his group will continue their Christian-based work on the island and use the gift as way to serve even more people. The community garden is a wonderful idea, and we wish them a bountiful harvest in many ways.”

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