Mott Branch Library Community Garden
Giant sunflowers boldly peak over a wooden picket fence as some 20 children dance with honeybees and butterflies, step over fresh green kale ready for picking, and proudly hold giant squash and scented basil to the sky.
“Be careful, those are hot, I mean really, really hot,” Lance Crandall, of Toledo GROWs and AmeriCorps, affectionately warns the neighborhood youth who have gathered on this Thursday at the new Community Garden located in front of Mott Branch Library, 1085 Dorr St. Crandall advised against biting into the green hot peppers he just picked.
A few daring boys discreetly dismiss Crandall’s plea. The boys, ages 8-11, hesitate before biting into the hot peppers they helped to plant. Then it happens - “Ohhhh, my tongue!,” one boy yells before dashing off to find cold water for relief.
Welcome to a typical fun Thursday afternoon at the Mott Branch Library, where since May, the branch’s Community Garden has existed as a beacon of pride for patrons of all ages from the nearby neighborhood. This month, the plants are perfect for picking.
The Toledo-Lucas County Public Library’s Mott branch manager Judy Jones and Mott librarian Rebecca Roberts have teamed with Toledo GROWs, a community gardening outreach program of Toledo Botanical Garden, to create and maintain the library’s 30 x 15 garden space.
“These children are learning first-hand what it means to reap what you sow,” said Jones.
As cars whiz by along Dorr Street, appreciative onlookers honk their horns to cheer on the children and adult gardeners. Sometimes, parents, grandparents, and relatives sit in lawn chairs under a shaded tree and watch the youth plant seeds, and pick ripe vegetables.
On this day, Geneva Sutton, a Foster Grandparent at Mott, watches the children and guides them along as they take pride in the recently picked kale and squash.
“This garden is so nice for the children,” said Sutton.
Roberts said the Mott staff gained inspiration to create the garden space from a grant awarded to the library system in 2009 called Fit for Life, which emphasized health. The creation of First Lady Michelle Obama’s White House garden also helped to foster their idea.
“We can expand gardening in this neighborhood and community,” said Roberts, who dons sneakers and jeans each Thursday to help her young patrons garden. At the end of each gardening session, Roberts hands out lemonade and popsicles to help beat the heat of the beaming afternoon sun.
“This program is changing lives. The kids are so happy to see what they’ve helped to grow,” said Jones. Roberts adds, “This is so much bigger than just a library program.”
Crandall said the benefits of Mott’s Community Garden are multi-pronged:
“They are outside in nature, they are learning about good nutrition, they eat better, they are happier, and all of these things lead to them doing better in school,” said Crandall. “Plus, it’s also a constant lesson in sharing.”
In the fall, Crandall will help the young library patrons harvest the garden’s treasures, which include kale, basil, hot peppers, squash, tomatoes, and sunflowers. With the harvested goods, Roberts will continue the program and take the young gardeners inside the Mott Branch to make delicious, healthy foods such as salsa, salads and dressings to enjoy and eat.
For more information on Mott’s Community Garden, call 419.259.5230, or to participate in the youth gardening program, stop by the branch at 1085 Dorr St. at 2 p.m. on Thursdays now through September.
Press Release Contact Name: Rhonda Sewell
Press Release Contact Email: [email protected]
Organization Name: Toledo Public Library