Community Outreach from Home Depot Transforms Butterfly Garden at Sawmill

The third grade students at Mandracchia-Sawmill Intermediate School in Commack have been studying the life cycle of insects. They “raised” Painted Lady butterflies, and as a culminating activity, the students released the butterflies into the school’s butterfly garden.

The garden had undergone an amazing transformation just the day before, thanks to Christopher Longstreet, a Sawmill dad who noticed the garden needed some loving care. Mr. Longstreet also is an Assistant Manager of the Freeport Home Depot. The garden was badly in need of “More Savings, More Doing,” so Mr. Longstreet paired up with Smithtown Home Depot Operations Manager, Miguel Pichardo, and associates, Kristine Lomardie and Gloria DeJesus, to transform the garden just in time for the third grade students to release butterflies.

After ripping out all the weeds that had taken over, beautiful plants and trees that attract these flying beauties were planted, also courtesy of Home Depot. The garden will provide a wonderful place for teachers to take their students out during the warm weather to read, write, and learn.

Sawmill was so appreciative of this donation. The student council created thank you care packages for the team filled with orange drinks and orange treats with a note that read, “Orange you glad you helped us out? We are!”

“Let’s do this!” was music to the ears of Mandracchia-Sawmill Intermediate School Student Council. The Student Council Advisors, Tara O’Grady, Kathi Woolley, and Laura Keen, would like to send a special thank you to all the students that came out to help the Home Depot team get the job done!

Story & photos by Brenda Lentsch