The Watch Me Grow Ohio Fellowship Garden cut its ribbon last week with a special Business After Hours hosted at the campus.

The garden is designed by locals for locals, with the idea of getting the youth outdoors, planting and tending to food that will benefit the community, provide educational opportunities and offer enriching activities.

A lot of the planning and fundraising came from co-founder Amanda Lewis

“The goodwill of the Portsmouth community was immensely giving and supportive,” Lewis claimed. “We received donations and sponsorships from so many businesses and individuals. It was shocking how quickly the community rallied to support this project.”

When asked about the most important element of the garden and the project, Lewis explained that was simple— it is for the children. She also spoke on the campus, stating that calling it a project felt wrong, because it was so much more than that to her.

“The children in our very first program, back in 2018, told us they wanted to help feed the hungry. So, this garden was designed to respond to that need. It’s the culmination of years spent dreaming, planning, and doing.” Lewis recalled, while deep in thought about the project. “We’ve met so many caring, beautiful people along the way that helped us bring this garden to fruition- people donating their time, money, labor, and guidance. To call it a project almost minimizes its impact. It’s the beginning of something truly magical- a space created entirely with love.”

Co-founder Drew Carter explained that the garden is also very important to the neighborhood and community it serves.

“This garden has beautified and helped revitalize the Northend community of Portsmouth,” Carter said. “We are now able to host sustainable gardening and food preservation classes while promoting urban gardening. The Fellowship Garden allows Watch Me Grow Ohio to produce locally grown vegetables and fruits for a food desert area. This garden runs 100 percent off of solar energy and is the first of its kind in Southeast Ohio. It provides a space for our community to have events and educate themselves on sustainable gardening methods.”

The organization does a lot more than just grow produce. Organizers work hard year-round to provide programming that includes a Block Party, they operate the Young Growers and Little Sprouts Youth Agricultural and Entrepreneurship Program, they take part in the Healthy Holiday Initiative, and more. They highlighted a lot of their accomplishments at the Business After Hours.

“It was nice to see our community come out and support Watch Me Grow Ohio during the ribbon cutting ceremony,” Carter said. “It’s been a long time coming! There’s been a lot of time and sacrifices made by our volunteer team. Amanda Lewis and Leanne Kinker, who are co-founders along with myself, have been there from the start of this project. We were so concerned that everyone at the ceremony was comfortable and enjoying themselves, the ribbon cutting was somewhat a blur. However, the community continues to share how beautiful the garden is and it means a lot to us.”

Kinker was also at the opening event, proud to show off what her group accomplished. Being part of the business and non-profit community, she gave credit to the entire community for making it possible.

“If it wasn’t for our amazing community support, the Fellowship Garden would not have been possible,” Kinker said. “This is a beautiful green space for children, families, and groups to enjoy and commune together.”

Watch Me Grow Ohio is going to continue with our programs promoting agriculture, art, entrepreneurship, and community engagement. Their next big project is developing a food forest for the East End community of Portsmouth. You can learn more about Watch Me Grow Ohio at their website www.watchmegrowohio.org.

This project was supported by many folks, including the Scioto Foundation, which has more information on their programming at www.sciotofoundation.org.

Reach Joseph Pratt at (740) 353-3101, by email at [email protected], © 2022 Portsmouth Daily Times, all rights reserved.