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REHOBOTH - On a small patch of land in Rehoboth grows a small garden beaming with hope.

By mid-summer its caretakers - all volunteers - hope to supply the Rehoboth Helping Hands food pantry with fresh vegetables.

The food pantry has been hit with a double-whammy: a lack of food and increasing need, pantry director Steve Martin said.

"People in the local community need assistance," volunteer John Defontas said.

And with volunteers, the project will provide the pantry with fresh produce at the lowest possible cost. Rising food costs have taken its toll on food pantries throughout the region.

"The basics we take for granted, we're trying to keep on the shelves," Martin said. "We can always use donations."

The concept for the garden came from Town Administrator David Marciello, who is heading up the project.

He thought of the idea after seeing a vacant, weed-infested lot near his office on Peck Street. Planting a garden, he figured, would enhance the aesthetics of the unsightly spot. Surely flowers would make the space more interesting.

But vegetables, he thought, would benefit the community.

"I really want it to be a community effort that when its all said and done, brings people together for the better good," Marciello said.

The original location proved unsuitable for a vegetable garden, so volunteers got to work on a new location on Bay State Road.

Rehoboth, because of its picturesque rural environs, is considered to be among the wealthier communities in the area. But that can be misleading.

"You would not believe how needy this community is," Marciello said. "(Many people) just can't afford the fresh fruits and vegetables that their young children need."

Defontas brought his own tractor to till the 80- by 30- foot garden. He turned over soil for two hours so the gardening could begin. "We're starting with nothing," said Lisa Aronson, head volunteer.

Vegetables being planted now include squash, potatoes, onions, carrots, zucchini, and eggplant, Aronson said.

She chose vegetables that were the most nutritious and would last the longest, so the amount of produce available could be regulated.

Aronson said she is thrilled that all of the vegetables will go directly to the food pantry.

"We don't know if it's going to work yet, or not. It's our first year," she said.

With more planting and maintenance ahead, the project is welcoming new volunteers.

"It's amazing what some people will do to help," Aronson said.

A woodworking class from Dighton-Rehoboth Regional High School will build benches and gazebos for the garden.

Donations for the food pantry can be dropped off at The Council on Aging at 55 Bay State Road.