JAMES CITY COUNTY — Grove Christian Outreach Center re-dedicated the Rob Till Community Garden Saturday with a Garden Party and ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The revitalized Rob Till Community Garden, now an official program of Grove Christian Outreach Center, represents a significant step forward in the fight against food insecurity in the Grove and greater Williamsburg community, according to a recent press release. The organization said the garden will empower neighbors to grow their own fresh produce while also supplementing The Gathering Place at Grove food program, the region’s first free grocery market, with fruits and vegetables distributed weekly to local families.
“Rob was enthused to make sure that we were able to use open space to do good things for the community at Grove Christian Outreach Center, we want to honor that legacy. We want to use this space to not only improve the lives of those that we serve by offering them space to grow their own food, but also to use this space to stock our own market, the gathering place at Grove Christian Outreach Center,” said Katie Patrick, Executive Director of Grove Christian Outreach Center.
Patrick was joined by Sen. Danny Diggs and James City County Board of Supervisors Vice Chair John J. McGlennon.
“Well, I did know Rob, and had the honor of speaking a little bit at his memorial service, where I pulled out a letter that I had gotten the very first time I met him, where he wrote out exactly what he was trying to do for the community,” said McGlennon. “And, you know, I think Rob would just be beside himself today. All of us miss him. This was a tremendous effort on his part. He was relentless.”
“And it’s so exciting, the Grove Christian Outreach Center is taking on that task and allowing for involvement by others, like the master gardeners, who’ll be teaching how to get things done, how to grow, how to maintain enough crops,” he continued. “So, everything that’s happening in this community is just a sign of the way in which Rob planted, not just plants, but an idea, the seed of which is now producing such great fruit.”
Learn more about Grove Christian Outreach Center at groveoutreach.com.
