Grace’s Garden will provide nourishment for the body ...
and the soul. Located on land at Carlow University in Oakland, the ground is being tended to grow fruits and vegetables for not only students, faculty and staff, but also anyone else in the community. The name of the Carlow Community Garden honors the late Jacqueline Fettis, whom everyone called Grace.
“My grandmother was a fantastic influence on my gardening aspirations,” said Isabelle Finnegan, 20, of Bethel Park, a third-year student at Carlow studying health sciences who aspires to be a physician assistant. “She was an amazing woman. Despite facing many hardships, she always found the time to give back to her community.
My grandmother loved to garden and she passed that love down to my mom who passed it down to me,” Finnegan said. The community garden idea embraces Carlow’s mission, according to Kathy Wilson Humphrey, the university’s president. “Everyone has gifts and skills, and it is about giving back with a desire to want to help,” Humphrey said.
“This garden in many ways epitomizes my hope for them. I say to them all the time, ‘To whom much is given, much is required.’ It is one of my favorite scriptures, and for them to act on it means so much.
” The plan is for the garden to provide fresh food offerings to be distributed through the Purple Door, a food pantry on campus. Inventory at the Purple Door and what will be harvested from the garden will also be available to members of the com.
