High schoolers step up and beautify Wellesley Post Office flower boxes

By Judy Papp

Have you ever wondered which government agency takes care of Wellesley’s Post Office flower boxes?  No, the flowers are not paid for by the PO budget, nor do they add to the government deficit!  It is the Wellesley Gardeners’ Guild that four times a year purchases and plants all the flowers and then waters and monitors them on a daily basis.  They hold a variety of fundraisers and organize watering schedules for all their members.

But one finishing touch remained undone – over the years paint had chipped on the window boxes and they definitely needed a make over.  So recently our first High School volunteer – Dash Ankermann – took the lead in sprucing up the flower boxes.  Taking time out from his spring break, he gave a face lift to the boxes at the Wellesley Hills Post Office, scraping, sanding, priming and painting till they looked as good as new.

Then the Guild organized for an additional group of High School students, members of the Key Club – Olivia Czubarow, Katrina Gates, Shannon Duffy, Teddy Sevilla, Kate Westenberg, Marissa Bosland, Amanda Ong – to paint the flower boxes at the Wellesley Square Post Office and clean up the surroundings.

The club has already received numerous compliments from patrons, including the PO Manager.  One impressed person even gave a $20 donation once he realized that the funds for the plants and the paint are donated by Wellesley Gardeners’ Guild members.  Plans are to spend it on a replacement bush since several dead ones were pulled during the clean-up.