SCSC Wellness Highlight • Madelia Municipal Light & Power

Green spaces within the workplace provide employees the opportunity to engage in physical activity, reduce stress, and foster a sense of community. Madelia Municipal Light & Power has taken a fresh approach to this idea by implementing a vegetable garden at their worksite.

Kari Byro, Madelia Municipal Light & Power Wellness Coordinator, says that what made their vegetable garden successful was the teamwork and collaboration from everyone at their organization. Everyone played a part in the success of the garden.

The garden project started with the building of the garden bed and placing it in a sunny area.The bed was then filled with nutrient-rich soil and carefully placed plants. As the garden grew, so did everyone’s interest. Employees would regularly check on the plants and it became a shared experience that everyone could take pride in. Staff were excited to harvest and bring the produce home and they are already planning what to do next year.

"The wellness garden project brought every employee’s input together and created something greater for the final product," said Chris Trembley, Madelia Municipal Light & Power General Manager.

A workplace wellness program in an organization has become indispensable, offering many benefits for employers and employees. The SCSC Wellness Program is a dedicated initiative exclusively available to SCSC/MHC health insurance pool members.

Contact us with your success stories at wellnesscommittee@mnscsc.org.