Growing Coraopolis: Volunteers Plan Community Garden

Randon Willard plans on a garden brimming with tomato plants, peppers, and strawberries. 

Willard, a member of the nonprofit Coraopolis Community Development Foundation, said the group's volunteers are working to transform a Coraopolis borough home and yard into a community garden and education center. 

Renovations have already begun at the home, located at 411 Broadway Avenue. The project will open to the community in the coming months. 

"It's a community farm model," Willard said. "The produce from the garden will go to the (Coraopolis) food pantry, and split between people who help out at the garden." 

When completed, the group envisions the property will house a first-floor classroom area for garden volunteers as well as courses geared toward community members, including GED and English-as-a-second-language classes. 

Outside, an herb garden and multiple beds will grow various vegetables—all offered for free to the local food pantry and available to those who work to tend the garden. 

The plan is to produce food that is healthful and easy to cook with. 

"We want vegetables that are easily recognizable," Willard said. "Sweet potatoes, corn, raspberries. Things people can really use." 

The effort has been made possible through grant donations to the foundation—one through the organization Allegheny Grows and another from Maronda Homes. 

"We had dreamed about starting a community garden garden," Willard said. "The idea came to us at the same time we thought of starting the Coraopolis Cooperative Food Pantry."

Maronda Homes donated the property to the foundation. The property is valued at $56,000, according to county property records. 

In addition, Allegheny Grows will contribute all costs associated with maintaining the garden and training its volunteers in the first year. The group will fund 50 percent of those costs in the garden's second year, Willard said. 

"When we started the food pantry, what we were seeing was a lot of residents who didn't have the transportation to make it to the West Hills Food Pantry (in Moon)," he said. "So we tried to alleviate that need with the food pantry in Coraopolis. The garden will serve that." 

Volunteers will come together on April 12 and April 26 for two work days at the Broadway Avenue home. The work will take place from 4 to 7 p.m. both days, Willard said. 

Willard said the foundation has looked to communities such as Millvale and Bellevue for inspiration—both municipalities offer community gardens to their residents. 

"It will be the community's garden," Willard said. "This is open to residents in the 15108 zip code. It's those residents that we're trying to target and engage." 

Visit the foundation's Facebook page at this link for more information on becoming involved with the community garden.