Members of the public are invited to attend the first anniversary celebration of the Carolina Campus Community Garden on May 26 at 2 p.m. at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The event will take place at the garden, located off Cameron Avenue on Wilson Street.
Activities will include a tour of the garden and opportunities to hear from Chancellor Holden Thorp, garden volunteers, UNC employees and others about the garden’s impact. Participants will be able to sample appetizers made from garden produce, help plant a row of beans and enjoy live music.
The garden was created out of concern for the University’s lower wage employees during this time of economic stress. Inspired by the World War II Victory Gardens concept and the growing farm-to-fork movement, a group of staff, faculty, students and community members last spring transformed an 8,000-square-foot space in walking distance of campus into a produce garden.
Accomplishments in the garden’s first year include:
- 3,500 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables given free of charge to UNC housekeepers at weekly distributions;
- 220 volunteers, representing students, staff, faculty and community members, participating in bi-monthly garden workdays and committees;
- Wheel-chair accessible beds and pathways; and
- Learning lab for developing gardening skills, healthy living and academic pursuits.
“With the economy being so bad [these distributions] truly, truly, truly help a lot,” said Amanda Hulton, UNC housekeeper.
Garden partners include the UNC Employee Forum, the Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention and the North Carolina Botanical Garden, which also serves as its sponsoring unit.
Location: Directions and a map are available at http://sites.google.com/site/uncgarden/contact-us
Media note: Media representatives should contact Claire Lorch, clorch@email.unc.edu, if they plan to attend.
