The ’Skegee Garden Club announced on March 11 that it has invested a $4,100 grant from the National Black Food and Justice Alliance to improve a new community garden in Tuskegee. The initiative is part of The Tuskegee Macon County Community Foundation’s “Macon it Happen in Tuskegee” project.
The club’s efforts aim to strengthen ties between Tuskegee University and the surrounding community by supporting food security, access to fresh produce, and agricultural education. Sia Smith, vice president of the ’Skegee Garden Club, said, “This funding is a major step forward in our mission to promote food security, expand access to fresh produce, and strengthen local agricultural knowledge within our community.”
With the grant funds, the club has built raised beds in the garden and plans to host community workshops. Additional support will go toward small infrastructure projects with local partner farms such as Shady Grove Blueberry Patch, Harlem Comes to Cotton, and Tuskegee Honey. The funding will also provide student career development opportunities and professional certifications as well as marketing strategies for local farmers.
Dr. Olga Bolden-Tiller, Dean of the College of Agriculture and Nutrition Sciences at Tuskegee University, said, “Just as students once built the classrooms they learned in, Tuskegee students help run and sustain real services that support the community and their own professional development.”
These activities align with what is described as the Tuskegee Renaissance Era’s focus on preparing students for the workforce while advancing Booker T. Washington’s philosophy that education should empower students with practical skills benefiting their communities. Dr. Bolden-Tiller added, “George Washington Carver revolutionized the Southern economy through his crop rotation innovation and research, much of which was done at Tuskegee. Even more importantly, his focus on restoring self-sufficiency, dignity and healthier and more diverse food options to struggling farmers and their families is the greater hallmark – a legacy showing up today in the great work done by the ‘Skegee Garden Club.”
The club’s ongoing work reflects broader efforts at Tuskegee University to blend academic learning with hands-on service that benefits both students and residents.
