Members of Knox County CAC AmeriCorps team and the City of Knoxville will host a public meeting with community members on March 29, to discuss development of a charitable community garden in Tyson Park.

The proposed garden - planned to be located on the west side of the park near the tennis courts and the Concord Street entrance - would be called the Community Nourishment Garden.

The meeting is set for 6:15 p.m., Monday, March 29, in Room 322 of the University of Tennessee's Conference Center, 600 Henley Street.

The Community Nourishment Garden will feature a variety of edible plants, including, apple trees, pawpaw trees, blueberries, raspberries and various vegetables. The garden will also include a butterfly garden, a rain garden, and both water catchment and composting systems.

The garden will be managed by volunteers and the food produced will benefit refugees at Bridge Refugee Settlement Services. The purpose of the meeting is to form a committee of volunteers to maintain the garden as well as generate community interest in it. 
 
"The Community Nourishment Garden will provide all of its participants the opportunity to form new bonds within their community, while working collaboratively to provide fresh, healthy produce to fellow community members who need it," said Matt Butzlaff, the city's CAC AmeriCorps Greenway Ranger and one of the organizers of this project.

The Community Nourishment Garden is tentatively scheduled to be put in early this May, but a final time of installation is dependent on the willingness of community members to donate time and resources to the project.

To learn more about the meeting or to become involved in this project, please contact:

Matt Butzlaff: [email protected]
Liz Moniz: [email protected]
Jake Tisinger: [email protected]