Crops were stolen from a Stephenville garden. The community rallied to sprout a happy ending

Stolen crops from the YMCA Community Garden in Stephenville put a Thanksgiving donation in jeopardy, until residents from around the region stepped up to the plate to help.

The Bay St. George YMCA has cultivated a community gardenover the last four years, and intended to donate this year's crop to a local food bank for Thanksgiving.

That was until Cheryl Johnson, the YMCA's operations director, went to the garden on Tuesday to find an empty potato bed.

"My father had told me 'You got to wait til your potatoes fall right to the ground, and then you'll know there ready to harvest.'And I thought 'Oh, they've fallen to the ground.' But they were pulled out of the ground,"Johnson told CBC News.

"As I got closer to the garden, I realized what had happened. And I was totally defeated. We were heartsick about it."

WATCH | Stolen vegetables won't stop this community from coming together:

Veggies that should have gone to a food bank were stolen right out of the ground

10 days ago

Duration 2:40

The Bay St. George YMCAs community garden grows food that gets distributed to charities. The local food bank was due to get a healthy harvest of potatoes, but staff were shocked to discover they had been stolen. The community is now coming together to right a wrong.

Johnson said she was devastated by the incident, andfelt for the students who hadputa great amount of work into building the garden.

She decided to share a post on Facebook about the incident which brought the community together in a way she said she couldn't have imagined.

"When I showed up [Wednesday morning] there was 150 pounds of potatoes and cabbage and turnip and carrot just sitting there. And they've continued to come," she said.

"While it may have been one negative action here, the way it was turned around and the community support that we received because of that, I just can't put into words."

Johnson said the amount of support shown to the Bay St. George YMCA has been unprecedented. She saidnewsof the thefthas brought donations from as far away as Ottawa.

Thanks to the support and donations from residents, she said, the donation the YMCA will make to the local food bank will far exceed expectations.

"That will show you what community spirit can do."

Download ourfree CBC News appto sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador.Click here to visit our landing page.