Growing gardens to nurture lives
By Rae Hellard

Last month, volunteers at the Pickerington Public Library joined together to create several garden plots outside of the historical building. This event marks the beginning of the three-year project in which vegetable and fruit gardens will be sustained to help feed those in need.

To establish this project, volunteers used $3,175 in grant money from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and will be further assisted by groups like the Girl Scout Council, Fairfield County’s OSU Extension office, and the American Cancer Society.

This new program was created to educate residents about the benefits and joys of maintaining a garden. Volunteers learn how to use rain barrels and other containers to grow small gardens in their own homes, eventually discovering how to spend less on groceries and make the change to a more environmentally-friendly lifestyle. This project allows residents to return to the nature of Pickerington, which was originally a farmland area.

Because there are many people in the area who are unable to leave their homes for groceries, this project intends to harvest and deliver the produce to the Pickerington Ministerial Association Food Pantry and local church, where the goods will be distributed to those who need them.

Community children are not left out of the Library Gardens project. A “pizza garden” project will be incorporated into the Summer Reading Program at the PPL, in which participants will plant and care for vegetables that will later be harvested to make a pizza. This fun and nurturing idea will be sure to entertain Pickerington local children, and will also educate them about caring for plants of their own. The library will integrate the garden’s message through special events and volunteer work throughout the summer.

For more details about this project or to become a volunteer, contact the Pickerington Public Library at 614-837-4104.