Members of Spring Hill College’s SGA developed the idea for a community garden for the campus and opened the garden on April 9.
Thanks to Rachel Lee, a Project Manager for Facilities here at the college, students can now know exactly how the community garden benefits them. Lee said, “The idea for the garden was actually originally brought to us by the SGA.” The issues that initiated a need for a community garden are those of “Sustainability, food security, and nutritional disparity,” said Lee.
The community garden serves the purpose of providing nutrition at no cost. Lee said, “We need more community gardens and actual viable, affordable ways for people to get the nutrition so desperately needed but that is not necessarily widely affordable or available.”
Another purpose of the community garden is to connect the community. Lee said, “Our society is quickly losing interpersonal relationship skills and a group project such as a community garden serves as a wonderful tool for bringing people together.” Haley Rainey, a junior at Spring Hill College, said, “I think it’s a brilliant idea!”
The community garden is completely organic. Lee said, “No chemicals of any sort are allowed.” According to Lee, the garden is also checked twice a week by a horticulturist. Brooke Evans, a junior at Spring Hill College, said, “It seems like a great way for college students and the community to have access to fresh fruits and vegetables!”
The community garden wouldn’t be possible without someone maintaining it. The garden is maintained by the crew of Facilities Operations, according to Lee. “We have grounds-crew members who spend a diligent amount of time out there pruning, staking, planting, etc,” explained Lee.
The community garden also embellishes the campus. Matt Brent, a senior at Spring Hill College, said, “From a senior’s perspective, it looks far better than it did my freshman year, when there was nothing there besides the stairs and Mary statue.”
The community garden is open to the public. Students, faculty and the community can be involved. Lee said, “It’s all free, the only thing we ask in return is a little bit of work while you’re there.” Feel free to stop by next time you are around campus.
