Westside Messenger - July 28th, 2019

PAGE 2 - WESTSIDE MESSENGER - July 28, 2019
GARDEN
Continued from page 1
build gardens to feed the hungry. In his
essay, he wrote about having witnessed
firsthand friends and family who could
scarcely afford food, let alone fresh produce,
and wanted to make a difference in
t
their lives.
“I want to be able to help them by providing
them with free and healthy food,” he
said.
Shortly thereafter, the school was
NOW ACCEPTING GRANT FUNDING APPLICATIONS
SWACO is now accepting applications for grant funding for
innovative waste reducing, recycling and composting projects
occurring in 2020. Franklin County non-profits, schools,
universities and local governments are eligible to apply.
August Giveway
Place a prepaid classified line ad in our paper
for the month of AUGUST and be registered to win a
$50 Gift Card from
The Columbus Messenger Newspapers.
All ads received by mail, in person,
email or phone will be included in the drawing.
Drawing will be held August 30, 2019
and the winner will be notified
and published in our September 8th issue.
GOOD
Applications will be accepted until September 20, 2019
APPLY ONLINE:
SWACO.org/CommunityGrants
MORE INFO Call Barbara Camfield, 614-276-8224 ex 5028
LUCK!
informed that they had received a $500
grant to start their garden.
In May, Kennedy and his fellow Boy
Scout troops came to Westminster
Presbyterian and tore up the land to create
six beds — one for each grade level to grow
their own crops, and one for the church to
grow theirs too.
With the help of Benney’s childhood
friend and master gardener Roger
McArtor, they filled the beds with the most
growth friendly dirt and then waited for
the kids to arrive.
“We brought them all over, grade level
by grade level, and they were so excited,”
said Hall. “Most of them had never planted
a seed before, let alone used a tiny shovel,
but they were all so thrilled to pitch in.”
They planted sunflowers, cabbage, lettuce
and strawberries. They planted tomatoes
and spinach. They planted herbs like
basil, thyme and dill. And they even planted
a few native flowers to attract more
bees.
Hall said each of the students at the
school played some role in creating the garden.
“It truly has been a school-wide effort,”
she said.
As the end of the school year
approached, several students expressed
concern about the state of the garden.
“They were very worried it wouldn’t be
there when they got back,” said Hall.
South Central Hilltop NNO
The South Central Hilltop area will celebrate
its 15th annual National Night Out
Festival from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Aug. 6 in the
Hilltop centrally located park behind
Burroughs Elementary School, 551 S.
Richardson Ave. This event is part of a
greater national celebration of community
that is designed to help foster better relationships
between citizens and police.
The Columbus Division of Police will be
present at National Night Out with many
interactive activities for all. Activities from
the Salvation Army Hilltop Corps, COSI,
YMCA, Columbus Zoo, Columbus Division
SAFE PLACE
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“Our youth often find themselves at our
local libraries, and adding Westland Area
Library as a Safe Place site expands
Huckleberry House’s front porch to keep
our Columbus youth safe,” said Becky
Westerfelt, executive director of
Huckleberry House.
Michele Lowe, assistant director of
Westland Area Library, said, “Westland
Area Library has been a vital part of the
far westside community for many years,
and this is another way the library can
serve the vulnerable, improve lives, and
help make the community a better place.”
Huckleberry House is central Ohio’s
Safe Place agency and has 84 partner sites,
community events
www.columbusmessenger.com
But she promised to come back and take
care of the garden (she goes twice a week,
along with fellow educator Ruth Mohr),
and so did the Boy Scouts, the local Girl
Scout troops, the church congregation, and
even Green and his family.
“We all go there every week,” said Amy
Green, Eli’s mother.
In the weeks that followed since the initial
planting, the crops grew. And grew.
And grew some more. Thankfully, said
Hall, insects have been kind to the garden.
So has the neighboring community.
“They have been wonderful,” she said.
“We lack a great irrigation system here but
they have donated at least five rain barrels
for us to use.”
Benney said when they proposed the collaborative
concept, they had no idea this
would be the outcome but he believes it
perfectly encompasses the spirit of the community.
“This is a community that cares about
each other,” he said.
In mid-July, the sign designation the
garden as the ‘Lincoln Village Youth and
Community Garden’ will arrive, as will
those who voluntarily return to take care of
it. There are many plans to expand the garden,
but for now they are just looking forward
to what it can and will do for those in
the community.
“It’s a great way to start to make a difference
in the world,” said Eli Green.
of Police SWAT Team and Canine Unit,
and Columbus Division of Fire will be on
hand.
For additional information or to volunteer
or set up a booth, contact Lisa Boggs
at lisaboggs693@sbcglobal.net.
Stuff the Bus
The Hilltop Kiwanis Club will host its
annual back-to-school Stuff the Bus
Challenger. Community members are
asked to drop off school supplies for Hilltop
area students from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 10
at Hoge Memorial Church, 2930 West
Broad St.
including the Prairie Township
Community Center, Prairie Township’s
administrative building, and Prairie
Township Fire Station. In addition to Safe
Place sites, youth may also access immediate
help via TXT 4 HELP, a text-for-support
service for youth in crisis. Teens can
text the word “safe” and their current location
(address, city, state) to 69866 and
receive a message with the closest Safe
Place location and the number for the local
youth shelter. Users also have the option to
text interactively with a mental health professional
for more help.
To learn more, visit www.huckhouse.org
or www.swpl.org.