During a slightly rainy day June 7, nestled under a small pavilion, the Allentown Garden Club held its annual plant and bake sale at Emmaus Moravian Church, 146 Main St., Emmaus. The sale is one of the garden club’s most important events of the year and raises money for its scholarship, which supports members struggling with health or other personal issues.

Allentown Garden Club President Rosie Ebersole said this is the only time of year the club fundraises for this scholarship.

“This is our annual plant sale and the only way we make any money, aside from our dues,” Ebersole said. “We try to raise enough to give out two scholarships every year.”

In the past few years, the club has been able to raise about $2,000 at their sale, which allows them to split the money for two separate $1,000 scholarships. The scholarships are then given to members who might be in a nursing home or struggling with their health.

The sale was chock-full of a variety of flowers, vegetables, ferns and other plant types, organized by whether they should be placed in the sun or shade for growing. A slightly smaller section in the corner of the pavilion was dedicated to the bake sale, which included an assortment of homemade cookies, brownies and other sweet treats.

All of the plant products for the sale were donated to the club from 12 different local farms, greenhouses and businesses around Lehigh County and the surrounding areas. Ebersole said the club is grateful for all who contribute to their sale.

“Everyone is so, so generous. Like Eagle Point Farm, who came at 7:30 a.m. to give us 10 flats of petunias,” Ebersole said. “And Stoney Ridge Greenhouse, they gave us such a huge variety of different things.”

Along with their annual plant and bake sale, the Allentown Garden Club participates in multiple community events, such as the recent Lehigh Valley Flower and Garden show, where the club had a booth and taught attendees how to create miniature floral designs.

Allentown Garden Club meets at the Emmaus Moravian Church six times a year, on the second Thursday of March, April, May, September, October and November. Meeting agendas can vary from presentations about recent trips members have taken to hands-on container gardening as a group.

An especially important part of their meetings consists of writing handwritten cards to garden club members who are unable to make it to their meetings, whether due to moving away from the area or being in a nursing home. Ebersole said this practice is what the club is all about.

“I think it’s our way of both paying it forward and paying it back,” Ebersole said. “We pay it forward by teaching each other about gardening and pay it back by helping our members who have been a part of this for years.”

This sense of community is what seems to hold such a tight-knit group together. Carolyn Marino, a member of Allentown Garden Club, said the club and all of its work are truly about connectedness.

“We exist as a community of women who help each other along,” Marino said. “We are here to be there for each other.”