A group of dedicated community members have finally seen the fruits of their year long labor. grow! Lincoln Park Community Garden (grow!LPCG) committee members Linda Tarrant-Reid, Camille Edwards-Thomas, Wendy Henry-Dodds, and Karen Hessel spearheaded the construction of a sustainable, organic legacy garden that is now a reality on the site of the former Lincoln Elementary School, which was at the center of a historic desegregation case in 1961.
On Sunday, July 29, community gardeners gathered at grow! Lincoln Park Community Garden in Lincoln Park for a meet and greet, to learn about the garden guidelines, and eat fresh produce. The orientation brought out community gardeners from Habitat for Humanity, Neil’s Café, Bethesda Baptist Church, Lincoln Towers, Communities for All Ages, St. Simon’s Church and St. Catherine A.M.E.Zion Church. Community organizations lease 100 square foot raised beds for $50 a planting season which runs from April to November. Grow! Lincoln Park Community Garden also has an environmental learning center that will sponsor workshops and presentations about healthy living,
This spring, the grow! LPCG committee worked with volunteers from Habitat for Humanity led by director Jim Killoran; crews from New Rochelle Parks & Recreation guided by director of parks Anthony Tardibuono; and a team of New Rochelle residents who dug out the 5,000 square foot garden foot print, sifted soil, built raised beds and recruited community organizations to plant vegetables, herbs and fruits.
The project was a county-wide effort with Habitat student volunteers from Chappaqua, Scarsdale, New Rochelle, Yonkers, Rye Neck and some students from around the country who are working with Habitat for the summer.
grow! LPCG is a public/private initiative with wide support from the City of New Rochelle. William Zimmerman, commissioner of Parks & Recreation, an early supporter of grow! LPCG, won approval for the garden, located in Lincoln Park, from City Council last year. Committee members worked tirelessly throughout the year hosting events, fundraising, recruiting gardeners, talking to garden experts and visiting community gardens throughout the region for tips on how to begin their own community garden. grow! LPCG’s has received funding from individuals in the community, donations from local businesses and a grant from the Community for All Ages.