Charlotte Green, which started in 1991, was mirrored after the Philadelphia Green Project. As expressed in our mission statement, we are partners with inner city communities, who want to better their neighborhoods.

 

Initially, we find neighborhoods which are interested in our concept. The City of Charlotte, through their Community Department, has been invaluable to us in identifying both potentially interested neighborhoods and empty lots as potential garden sites. Approval from the landowner is sought for use of the site as a garden. Charlotte Green then presents a program to the local neighborhood association. Our goal is to enlist eight interested gardeners who will subsequently elect a head gardener.

 

Once the land has been obtained and the gardeners recruited, we meet with them at the site and provide them with gardening tools and a Charlotte Green t-shirt. They in turn pay $5.00 to become a member of the Charlotte Green family. The gardeners are given a plant selection form from which to choose the plants and vegetables for their garden, which will be provided by Charlotte Green. During the next few weeks, we till the land, add topsoil, etc., erect a fence and secure water usage in preparation for planting. The community gardeners maintain the continued upkeep of the gardens.

 

We have two seasons per garden, Spring and Fall. In November, the Board of Charlotte Green gives an annual dinner for the gardeners. Our board consists of twenty-seven members, seven of which are community gardeners. At that dinner, as an incentive and in appreciation, we give prizes for the best gardeners at each garden site and a prize for the best garden.

 

In 1997, we started an auxiliary, which has been invaluable in providing funds for our programs. Our ongoing outreach projects are the gardens at Presbyterian Hospice & Palliative Care and Barringer Academy in Charlotte, NC. We are concentrating on outreach within the neighborhoods that we serve.

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Our work continues...