The Daisy Sonju Community Garden in Des Moines received a helping hand today (Sep 16) as part of the United Way’s Day of Caring.

Day of Caring is an annual event that encourages volunteers to invest a day working on projects in the community.

Kim Richmond — the garden’s project manager — registered the the community garden with the United Way and two teams from Microsoft volunteered to spend the day removing invasive blackberry bushes and cleaning up the orchard.

The pea patch in the 9.3 acre plot provides space for local gardeners and fresh produce for the local food bank.

The work accomplished today will allow the pea patch to expand and be even more productive in the future.

Photographer Michael Brunk took advantage of today’s work party to revisit the gardens and capture photos of the volunteer effort and the progress of the garden since the dedication this past spring.