Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market: Welcome Agape Garden

The Uptown Westerville Farmers' Market welcomes Agape Garden.

Agape is a unique, true community experience.

Agape's Chelsea Merriman tells it best:

Agape is a gardening partnership between Otterbein College student volunteers and the youth residents at the United Methodist Children's Home in Worthington.

The premise of the garden arose out of need to revamp a volunteer program. A pastor at UMCH spoke about the power of letting a child grow something and use that as a metaphor for their lives (we all start out as seedlings and need lots of care and attention to grow. Then when they are big enough, they can provide for other people either physically or emotionally).

Thus began a two year endeavor to create a garden of herbs and vegetables where the children at the home make all the decisions. The children chose what to grow, and they work every week on cultivating the garden.

The name of the garden, Agape, was chosen by the children and it means "selfless love; giving of self." This
name couldn't be more appropriate for the work the children and volunteers do.

The garden would not have been a success if not for the unending support from UMCH and Otterbein, and also for the Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter Foundation for believing in this program.

People can reach Chelsea at Chelsea.merriman@otterbein.edu.

Agape features organically grown fresh herbs and hand-made shea butter herbal soaps.

Stop by today! Shake the hand of the young gardener who grew your fresh herbs!