COLUMBIA, Tenn. (WTVF) — For more than a dozen years, one community has had the benefit of a garden full of fresh and free produce.
Now in her first year volunteering to oversee it, one woman is on a mission to find new ways to keep it growing.
"Yes, so I got involved in April, which is why we have very baby plants right now," said Jacquelyn Moses, who volunteers with the Muletown Community Garden.
It sits outside The Family Center at the corner of Beckett Street and W 8th Street in Columbia.
For the last few years, Moses says the garden has needed a little TLC. The Family Center is a non-profit in Columbia that provides people with food, financial, and housing assistance.
"We are providing free produce to the community," Moses said. "It's a gift, so there's no qualifications, there's no hoops you have to jump through. If you're riding by in your car or riding by on your bike, you can harvest from this garden."
The Family Center tells NewsChannel 5 the garden started in honor of a young man named Edward, who had passed away. His mother wanted to do the garden in honor of her son and appropriately named it Edward's Garden. Now Moses is keeping this legacy going strong.
"I'm an herbalist, so my heart is to help the community overall be more healthy," she said.
This year, the garden is in the growing stages. It's early in the season. When it is at its peak — it'll have the freshest of veggies from tomatoes to peas, okra and salad greens.
"Getting good produce is difficult and it's expensive," Moses said. "So having something that's here that nobody has to fill out an application to access, seems like the best way to help people with their health."
She says they have volunteers signed up but always looking for more. In fact, they have an Intro to Gardening day set up for May 18 at 6 p.m. for anyone who wants to learn how to garden.
If you'd like to donate to help the garden, please get in touch with The Family Center.
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