Community Garden // Bluffs & Bayous

A Place for Gathering

story by Jennifer Jackson Whittier photography by Jennifer Jackson Whittier and courtesy of the Community Garden

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Left—Loyd Star Attendance Center students and teacher lend a hand.

Below—Pat Nelson and Mary McMorris team up to prep a garden.

Our world at times seems very polarized; and we saw this garden as a way of bringing our community together with a common goal, hoping to set an example for others to do the same. This Community Garden is our place for gathering. —Father Henry Shelton

T

he credit for establishing a community garden in Brookhaven, Mississippi, is shared by a small circle of inGLYLGXDOV ZKR VDZ D QHHG DQG ZRUNHG WRJHWKHU WR ÀOO WKDW need. Miles Patrick Nelson, Jim Bonner, and Father Henry Shelton along with a committee of volunteers have been the driving force in securing the site, tilling the land, planting crops, and maintainLQJ WKH JDUGHQ 7KHLU HIIRUWV DUH SURYLQJ EHQHÀFLDO HYHQ EHIRUH any crops have been gathered; their project is a labor of love and generosity.

Two years ago, Pat Nelson was inspired by a friend who had helped to start a similar project in Horn Lake, Mississippi. Nelson approached Brookhaven Mayor, Joe Cox, with his idea, which the mayor met with interest and enthusiasm. Unfortunately, the use of city property was not feasible; but with the encouragement and blessing of Mayor Cox, Nelson explored other avenues.

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City Alderman Shelley Harrigill suggested a vacant plot of land belonging to St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church. Father Shelton loved the idea and secured the approval of the parish, and a vacant lot across the street from the church became the site of the garden.

Together, they established guidelines—dotted i’s and crossed t’s; and the dream of a community garden became a reality.

Through social media and word of mouth, the news of the garden spread; and the work began. Rules and Page 32 { July 2018 { Bluffs & Bayous

directives required that gardeners could adopt an area, but must plant and maintain it; that no produce from the garden could be sold; and that half of the harvest would be donated to St. Vincent’s Food Pantry.

Volunteers began to till the soil; and community support came in the form of donated vegetables and herbs along with topsoil, fertilizer, and wooden stakes.

Individuals, churches, clubs, and businesses in the area were anxious to contribute to the cause; and over forty families became involved in the project. One

St. Francis of Assisi *H[OVSPJ *O\YJO VɈLYZ H garden site.

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Above—Celeste Lowery and Jerry Case assist with planting.

Right—Reverend Anne Matthews of the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer stakes out her row.

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teacher encouraged her students to participate, and their enthusiasm has continued well past the end of the school year.

The project is well underway, and the once vacant lot is abuzz with activity.

About the fresh vegetables that will be donated to St. Vincent’s Food Pantry, Jim Bonner, the pantry’s director, explained that families in need who are interested in this service PD\ FRQWDFW WKH 6W )UDQFLV FKXUFK RIÀFH IRU PRUH LQIRUPDtion. Boxes of food are distributed every week, and Bonner is thankful that fresh-picked produce will be available. With the collaboration of the gardeners and the pantry, people are coming together for a common purpose—sharing their time, their talents, and their crops.

The garden is available for tending, with the exception of Sundays, religious holidays, and Vacation Bible School, for anyone who wants to water or weed the plants. Those who enjoy gardening but do not have a place of their own to plant DUH HQFRXUDJHG WR ÀQG D URZ RU WZR WR WHQG 7KRVH ZKR ÀQG gardening relaxing and therapeutic are welcome to enjoy the downtown garden as well.

Brookhaven’s community garden has brought together people of all ages, races, and religions. Gardeners ranging in age from nine to ninety meet on common ground with common goals: to come together, to work together, to grow together, and to share the fruits of their labor.

Father Henry Shelton said it best: “Communion in the religious sense and community are really one in the same—fellowship, unity, and harmony.â€? As the summer days pass with the blistering heat and the hope of afternoon showers, the toPDWRHV SHSSHUV VTXDVK DQG KHUEV JURZ DQG Ă RXULVK 7KH gardeners tend their crops, sharing friendship, conversation, and the bounty of their efforts. The community garden in the small town of Brookhaven is indeed a place for gathering.

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For updates and information, including Gardener of the Month, check Facebook page Brookhaven Community Garden or brookhavencommunitygarden@gmail.com.

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