Green Growing Project

Through a cooperative effort of BSCTC and community groups, we are in our second year of growing vegetable gardens. We began in the spring of 2012 with a grant through Berea College and the "Grow Appalachia" program (www.growappalachia.org). Funded through the generosity of John Paul DeJoria, CEO and co-founder of Paul Mitchell Systems, Grow Appalachia is a service, educational and outreach program.

This spring we expanded the garden through a mini-grant from Kitchen Gardeners International. KGI is a nonprofit community of over 30,000 people from 100 countries who are growing their own food and helping others to do the same. KGI is based in Scarborough, Maine (www.kgi.org).


Also, the BSCTC office of Embracing Cultural Heritage Opportunities, (ECHO) has partnered with "Growing Warriors" headquartered in Mt Vernon, KY. This group consists of local veterans and volunteers who have proposed to construct and maintain ten additional raised beds in our campus garden. To learn more about this group go to www.growingwarriors.org.

The crops in our campus garden have included beans, sweet potatoes, zucchini, peas, tomatoes, onions and more. Most of the harvests are donated to the Food Pantry at St. James Episcopal Church next to campus. A cooperative effort of the BSCTC Care Club, college administrators, maintenance and operations, faculty and staff has made this a fun and productive project. Kathy Curtis, director of the St. Vincent Mission Grow Appalachia Program offers her assistance with grant requirements, training, and "working in the dirt".

Several faculty/staff members along with various community members are working together to grow a garden for hunger. All the harvest goes to the food pantry. We are looking for volunteers to assist in the garden and any new ideas you might have for future crops. The attachment is about the grants and the people involved in the garden. We had more pictures to show but at this time they are unavailable. As the project grows more information and pictures will be sent your way.

If you have interest in joining with us, please contact Tammy Ball, Paula Preece, Joe Campbell, or Tom Vierheller.