Community effort helps build garden for local cafe

JACKSON, Tenn. — Volunteers are working on a garden that’s proving to be truly a community effort.

For Frank Romeo, it’s something he felt called to do.

“I enjoy gardening. I enjoy putting something into the ground,” Romeo said. “You put one seed in and multiply it a hundred times. And that’s a beautiful thing to me.”

He’s one of the volunteers for the ComeUnity Cafe’s garden — right down the street from the restaurant.

“Last year, the cafe had not put one single penny out, for any of the supplies or the vegetables or the flowers that were grown in this garden,” Romeo said.

And that’s largely because of people like him and other community partners.

Tuesday morning, they were getting ready for spring planting, and Lowe’s helped build their new greenhouse.

“We raised enough money to purchase a greenhouse, and Lowe’s Home Improvement was gracious enough to get us one at their cost, and they also volunteered a couple of their staff to come help put it together.”

That’s just one example of how the ComeUnity Cafe Garden is truly a community effort. From the Master Gardeners planting vegetables for winter, to businesses bringing plants in the spring, even to college students bringing sweet potatoes that might have turned into a biblical moment.

“This bed behind me yielded close to 2 ½ bushels of sweet potatoes out of six plants, and it was incredible, the amount of sweet potatoes we got in there,” Romeo said.

Turning a simple donation into much more, one seed at a time.

“It brings hope to this part of the community,” Romeo said.

If you would like to volunteer at either the garden or cafe, call (731) 300-4674.