One of my work colleagues recently sent me a photo of a bin full of green beans that she and another volunteer picked over the lunch hour from Farm Bureau’s on-site garden.

"Here are our spoils from picking. Not too shabby for 10 minutes of work! Love helping in the garden!" said Amy Berry, a senior commercial ag underwriter for FBL Financial, in the email she sent me with her photo.

This summer, more than 40 staff volunteers are planting, weeding, watering and harvesting the Giving Garden at Farm Bureau’s West Des Moines office.

The tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans and other vegetables grown in the Giving Garden are donated to the Food Bank of Iowa’s warehouse in Des Moines.

Farm Bureau joined the corporate Giving Garden project two years ago, at the invitation of the United Way of Central Iowa. ...