Our LCMGA Grant Recipients:
2019-2020
Lee County Historical Society – The McLain Garden of herbs and medicinal plants at Pioneer Park was established in 2006. Dr. McLain practiced medicine in rural Lee County from 1902 to 1956. Mrs. McLain had a modest garden beside the doctor’s office where she would grow herbs and medicinal plants for the good doctor to use when he could not get other medicines to treat his patients. Our grant will fund the materials to replace the cross ties that frame the 12 beds that were established in 2006. These beds are used to grow annual and perennial plantings of culinary and medical herbs as a demonstration garden today.
Campus Dining at Auburn University – In 2020 the Campus Dining department at Auburn University aims to provide fresh, local produce for the food insecure of Auburn through the Community Garden Adopt-a-Plot sponsorship program. Through plot sponsorship, produce is grown for 9 months on site at the Community Garden and donated to several local hunger relief organizations, including the Campus Kitchen at
Auburn University and the East Alabama Food Bank. The garden plots will serve as demonstrations of various gardening techniques and best practices with a focus on promoting sustainable agriculture and successful gardening practices. Our grant will fund seeds, transplants, water, tools, equipment, and fuel costs for the delivery of the produce.
2018-2019
Opelika High School FFA - The FFA is a student organization for high school students interested in agriculture and education. Their outdoor agricultural education teaching facility is going strong. Now they want to emphasize growing vegetable transplants for early & late season vegetable crops. Students will learn how a farm is run, how food is grown and how to propagate plants. This year our grant will fund the purchase of a greenhouse kit/high tunnel and materials for a nursery area.
Kreher Preserve and Nature Center - Part of Auburn University and "Where Leisure Meets Learning", this outdoor facility has opportunities galore--hands-on education focused programs for all ages, summer camps, nature walks, etc. For years our master gardeners have volunteered on the premises assisting with nature education, enhancing the public's experience and now leading the new Butterfly Garden project. To expand this recent addition to Kreher, a Sensory Garden is planned to encourage visitors to heighten their sensory experience. Four planter boxes of carefully selected plants will represent touch, scent, sight and taste. Installation of a bird feeder, a bluebird house and wind chimes will represent sound, while benches will encourage visitors to linger, learn and enjoy. Teachers will welcome this outdoor experience for their students. Our grant will fund this wonderful effort.
AU Community Gardens - Located near campus, these gardens offer plots of land for rent to AU facullty, staff, students and members of the community. The garden is managed by university employees who will advise you about gardening methods. They also manage a tool shed for your tools and on-site irrigation. Our grant will support the educational plots.
2017-2018
AU University Arboretum - This facility is a 13.5 acre botanic garden is located in the heart of Auburn and offers engaging events throughout the year. It provides visitors a place to enjoy a natural setting and experience the native plants and habitats of Alabama. Its mission is to display and preserve living plant collections and native southeastern plant communities, to inspire an understanding of the natural world and our connection to it and to promote education, research, conservation and outreach. Our grant will fund educational signage for the nationally accredited Oak Collection.
Harvest for Health Garden - This program was headed up by UAB's Comprehensive Cancer Center and AL Extension's Homes Grounds Team to teach new, healthy habits to cancer survivors using backyard gardens. Extension-trained Master Gardeners volunteer statewide to help these interested individuals learn vegetable gardening. Our grant provides funding to purchase gardening kits that include plants, seeds, garden boxes, soil and compost For Lee County participants who are cancer survivors.
Envisions Opelika Grows - Continuing to service our communities' needs, Opelika Grows identified a need to expand their facilities to accommodate the growing number of students seeking hands-on horticultural learning experiences. Our grant will fund more greenhouse tables.
2016-2017
Envisions Opelika Grows - Opelika Grows is a partnership of Opelika City Schools, Food Bank of East AL, Keep Opelika beautiful, Inc. and Auburn University and is an effort in localism. The organization, beginning in 2012, installs and maintains gardens (and programming) at six Opelika schools. Production from these gardens exceeds 500 pounds each year and is donated to the Community Market of the Food Bank of East AL. Their gardens serve as outdoor classrooms for all ages to pursue life-long learning and civic engagement. Our grant will fund a hydroponic system for their greenhouse.
OLLI - Sunny Slope, one of Auburn's oldest and most historical homes and located on College Street, once in deteriorating condition, is now restored but needs claiming back from the overgrown weeds, vines and shrubs. Our grant will help support landscape improvements aiming to restore the plantings back to how they would have been in the 1850s.
2015-2016
Opelika High School FFA - Opelika High School has been innovative in creating classroom opportunities for their students interested in horticulture and are now planning to develop 20 acres of adjoining land into an Agricultural Teaching Facility and an arboretum with walking trails, fences to define spaces and a structure to keep equipment safe and out of the elements. This project will benefit their students as well as the community.
Our grant will go toward this purpose and fund purchases of an ATV landscape rake for the trails and a much needed auger to dig many post holes.
Lee County Historical Society – The McLain Garden of herbs and medicinal plants at Pioneer Park was established in 2006. Dr. McLain practiced medicine in rural Lee County from 1902 to 1956. Mrs. McLain had a modest garden beside the doctor’s office where she would grow herbs and medicinal plants for the good doctor to use when he could not get other medicines to treat his patients. Our grant will fund the materials to replace the cross ties that frame the 12 beds that were established in 2006. These beds are used to grow annual and perennial plantings of culinary and medical herbs as a demonstration garden today.
Campus Dining at Auburn University – In 2020 the Campus Dining department at Auburn University aims to provide fresh, local produce for the food insecure of Auburn through the Community Garden Adopt-a-Plot sponsorship program. Through plot sponsorship, produce is grown for 9 months on site at the Community Garden and donated to several local hunger relief organizations, including the Campus Kitchen at
Auburn University and the East Alabama Food Bank. The garden plots will serve as demonstrations of various gardening techniques and best practices with a focus on promoting sustainable agriculture and successful gardening practices. Our grant will fund seeds, transplants, water, tools, equipment, and fuel costs for the delivery of the produce.
2018-2019
Opelika High School FFA - The FFA is a student organization for high school students interested in agriculture and education. Their outdoor agricultural education teaching facility is going strong. Now they want to emphasize growing vegetable transplants for early & late season vegetable crops. Students will learn how a farm is run, how food is grown and how to propagate plants. This year our grant will fund the purchase of a greenhouse kit/high tunnel and materials for a nursery area.
Kreher Preserve and Nature Center - Part of Auburn University and "Where Leisure Meets Learning", this outdoor facility has opportunities galore--hands-on education focused programs for all ages, summer camps, nature walks, etc. For years our master gardeners have volunteered on the premises assisting with nature education, enhancing the public's experience and now leading the new Butterfly Garden project. To expand this recent addition to Kreher, a Sensory Garden is planned to encourage visitors to heighten their sensory experience. Four planter boxes of carefully selected plants will represent touch, scent, sight and taste. Installation of a bird feeder, a bluebird house and wind chimes will represent sound, while benches will encourage visitors to linger, learn and enjoy. Teachers will welcome this outdoor experience for their students. Our grant will fund this wonderful effort.
AU Community Gardens - Located near campus, these gardens offer plots of land for rent to AU facullty, staff, students and members of the community. The garden is managed by university employees who will advise you about gardening methods. They also manage a tool shed for your tools and on-site irrigation. Our grant will support the educational plots.
2017-2018
AU University Arboretum - This facility is a 13.5 acre botanic garden is located in the heart of Auburn and offers engaging events throughout the year. It provides visitors a place to enjoy a natural setting and experience the native plants and habitats of Alabama. Its mission is to display and preserve living plant collections and native southeastern plant communities, to inspire an understanding of the natural world and our connection to it and to promote education, research, conservation and outreach. Our grant will fund educational signage for the nationally accredited Oak Collection.
Harvest for Health Garden - This program was headed up by UAB's Comprehensive Cancer Center and AL Extension's Homes Grounds Team to teach new, healthy habits to cancer survivors using backyard gardens. Extension-trained Master Gardeners volunteer statewide to help these interested individuals learn vegetable gardening. Our grant provides funding to purchase gardening kits that include plants, seeds, garden boxes, soil and compost For Lee County participants who are cancer survivors.
Envisions Opelika Grows - Continuing to service our communities' needs, Opelika Grows identified a need to expand their facilities to accommodate the growing number of students seeking hands-on horticultural learning experiences. Our grant will fund more greenhouse tables.
2016-2017
Envisions Opelika Grows - Opelika Grows is a partnership of Opelika City Schools, Food Bank of East AL, Keep Opelika beautiful, Inc. and Auburn University and is an effort in localism. The organization, beginning in 2012, installs and maintains gardens (and programming) at six Opelika schools. Production from these gardens exceeds 500 pounds each year and is donated to the Community Market of the Food Bank of East AL. Their gardens serve as outdoor classrooms for all ages to pursue life-long learning and civic engagement. Our grant will fund a hydroponic system for their greenhouse.
OLLI - Sunny Slope, one of Auburn's oldest and most historical homes and located on College Street, once in deteriorating condition, is now restored but needs claiming back from the overgrown weeds, vines and shrubs. Our grant will help support landscape improvements aiming to restore the plantings back to how they would have been in the 1850s.
2015-2016
Opelika High School FFA - Opelika High School has been innovative in creating classroom opportunities for their students interested in horticulture and are now planning to develop 20 acres of adjoining land into an Agricultural Teaching Facility and an arboretum with walking trails, fences to define spaces and a structure to keep equipment safe and out of the elements. This project will benefit their students as well as the community.
Our grant will go toward this purpose and fund purchases of an ATV landscape rake for the trails and a much needed auger to dig many post holes.