COMMUNITY PARTNERS / COMMUNITY GARDENS - EAST AVONDALE

The East Avondale Neighborhood Garden started up in 2003 on a vacant lot on 47th Street South opposite New Bethel Baptist Church. Hill Realty donated the lot and built a fence; Councilwoman Valerie Abbott's office supplied the water hookup, and Councilman Elias Hendricks found businesses to donate tools. The neighborhood association paid to build a picnic gazebo on the site, and all other resources, including seeds, have come through donations, said East Avondale Neighborhood Association President Rosie Thrash.

Help also came from Birmingham Youth Service Corps and Jones Valley Urban Farm, which operate separate gardens on the lot but share their labor and expertise with East Avondale.

Neighbors are free to help in the garden, and the produce is made available to anyone who wants it. The church next door also has harvested the produce, which includes corn, beans, cabbage, squash, watermelon and peanuts.

The East Avondale Neighborhood Association won first place and a $500 prize for its organic garden in the Revitalization/Beautification in a Single Neighborhood category at the Neighborhoods USA conference.