Every second and fourth Monday of the month, Women Involved in Newtown (WIN) will be volunteering their time at the Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary to weed the ecotype garden. The idea was presented by Laura King, a member of WIN and director of Events & Programming at the sanctuary.

The garden behind the retaining wall crafted by Gino Vona is an ecotype garden, meaning all the plants are native to the ecoregion and bring natural pollinators to the area. With natural pollinators working in the garden as well, weeds have sprouted and spread across the gardens.

WIN started its “Weeding Warrior” program at the sanctuary on Wednesday, May 22. WIN’s Co-President Cindy Utter said she wants to bring the community into the sanctuary to help cultivate the ecotype garden, as well as the vegetable garden. The vegetable garden is in partnership with Real Food CT, another local nonprofit that is focused on bringing nutrient-rich food to the Newtown area.

WIN has volunteered their time at other events the sanctuary has put on, such as the Butterfly Party in honor of Catherine Hubbard’s birthday every year, as well as other events in the community, like The Great Pootatuck Duck Race.

“Laura needs help,” Utter said, “We encourage other organizations to step up and volunteer as well.”

The sanctuary is looking for people to help clean out the beds, and WIN will be laying mulch down when the trail in the garden is cleared of weeds. After the initial work is done, they will be maintaining the gardens and ensuring that the property looks great for the community to enjoy during the season. For those who are interested in volunteering their time to the sanctuary, email info@cvhfoundation.org.

“Newtown is an amazing community,” Utter said, “We’re tight-knit and we care about each other … We are here to just serve our community in any way we can.”

Those who have a heart for volunteering and reside in Newtown are invited to visit WIN’s website at winct.org and click on their “Join” page.

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Reporter Sam Cross can be reached at sam@thebee.com.