Wednesday, March 31, 2021

HOLLYWOOD, S.C. - The Charleston County Public Library's St. Paul's Hollywood branch is now home to a new Community Garden. The garden contains six raised planting beds filled with fruits and vegetables, like okra, squash, kale, cabbage and cantaloupe. The garden also has native pollinators, including zinnias and marigolds. 

The St. Paul's Hollywood branch has teamed up with the Lowcountry Food Bank and currently has many initiatives to combat food insecurity in the area, including the Free and Fresh refrigerator, Pop-Up Produce giveaways, and a Charlie Cart mobile kitchen on site for future cooking classes. The new Community Garden is one more effort to improve access to fresh food and improved food literacy. 

"We know folks in the area face barriers in accessing fresh produce," said Associate Director of Community Engagement Devon Andrews. "The Community Garden will help people learn more about the foods they eat and where they come from. We are excited to have a real teaching garden where community members of all ages can contribute to its growth and cultivation." 

The garden is currently maintained by the staff at the St. Paul's Hollywood library. CCPL hopes once safety conditions allow, local community volunteers will help with cultivation and upkeep. The fruits and vegetable produced by the garden will be added to the bounty in the Free and Fresh fridge and be used in hands-on cooking demonstrations onces pandemic conditions allow. 

CCPL would like to extend a huge thank you to the organizations who made this Community Garden possible, including the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce Leadership Program Class of 2021, Frampton Construction, McGill Environmental Services, Pinestraw Services Charleston, Brooks Signs and Scott's Pallets, LLC.