Nurseryman overcomes chronic condition

FERTILE PHILANTHROPY: Gary Nolt of Top Soil Nursery near Elgin is helping grow zucchini, squash and cucumbers that will be given away to the public. - The Observer/DICK MASON

But in Union County there soon will be free vegetables — truckloads of free vegetables.

Top Soil Nursery of Elgin is growing thousands of squash, zucchini and cucumbers that will be given away to the public this summer and fall.

“It’s a small way for us to give back to the community,’’ said Gary Nolt of Top Soil Nursery.

Nolt hopes that Top Soil Nursery’s efforts will inspire others to make small sacrifices to help in the community and do things like give half a ham to a needy neighbor. He said that the combined impact of such steps can be enormous.

Nolt, who lives in Elgin, is devoting his summer and resources to growing the vegetables Top Soil Nursery will provide.

“I’m putting almost every dime I have into this,’’ he said.

Nolt is inspired to do this because he wants to help people hit hard by the economic downturn and skyrocketing food costs.

“Things are getting very difficult for people,’’ he said.

Things are also difficult for Nolt. He has battled a chronic staph infection for the past 15 years, one which causes intense, chronic pain. Health problems also afflict many of the people with Top Soil Nursery volunteering to help with the vegetable project. Nolt hopes this will serve as an inspiration to other people who want to make a difference in their community.

“If we can do this, anyone can,’’ Nolt said.

Conducting public service projects is nothing new for Top Soil Nursery. For example, during the Christmas season it provides gifts for needy children and the elderly at care centers. Since 2003, Nolt’s group has been giving away at least 1,000 white pumpkins a year to grade schools in Union and Wallowa counties. White pumpkins are provided because some schools do not want their students using sharp instruments to carve pumpkins. White pumpkins can be made to look scary without carving them.

Top Soil Nursery was not able to provide pumpkins last fall because Nolt was ill. He received dozens of phone calls from people asking if the pumpkins would be provided. Nolt has good news for schools this year, for pumpkins will again be distributed by Top Soil Nursery.

Those assisting Nolt with this year’s vegetable and pumpkin projects include Josh and Laurel Peters of Union County, Sirus and Melissa O’Quinn of La Grande, Oly Darner of La Grande, Don Shaw and Margie Shaw of Enterprise and Dick and Gloria Shafer of Elgin.

Area businesses that will be assisting with the project include Powerhouse Plus Hydro, 1404 Jefferson Ave. Some of the free vegetables will be made available in front of Powerhouse Plus.

The vegetables will also be available at Top Soil Nursery. Once they are available, directions to the nursery will provided in The Observer.

Nolt is so consumed by the vegetable project that he sometimes worries that his work is too demanding for his fragile health. His doctor disagrees.

“He said it keeps me alive. It gets me up and moving.’’