The groundbreaking and planting date for Grace Orchard at Kalispell Middle School is June 18.

Community members are invited to attend the groundbreaking ceremony at 11 a.m. June 18.

Following the ceremony, a team of experts from The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation will lead training workshops and volunteers will plant the orchard behind the school. Attending workshops is not mandatory, but recommended for volunteers and community members.

No prior experience is necessary to volunteer, Allison Mitchell, Kalispell Middle School Community Care Team coordinator, said there currently are 23 adult and 10 child volunteers,

 “We could always use more volunteers and we definitely want the community at the groundbreaking ceremony,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell requests that people interested in volunteering email their names and number of interested volunteers to [email protected].

The school received enough online votes to take first place in a contest to win a fruit orchard from Dreyer’s Fruit Bars and The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation. The orchard is being named  after retiring middle school Principal Barry Grace.

The school will plant apple, pear and plum trees. Although Mitchell does not yet know the number of trees, she hopes it will be around 30.

The plan for the orchard is to increase the school’s access to fresh food while becoming an outdoor classroom for students. As the orchard matures, it may provide enough fruit to donate to local food banks.