Lewes library Roots & Shoots Club joins community garden

Lewes Public Library’s young environmentalist club, Roots & Shoots, now has a plot at the Lewes Community Garden.

Participating teenagers will get firsthand training and experience working with some of the community’s best master gardeners, learning how to develop and maintain a successful organic produce garden.

One of the Lewes Community Garden’s main objectives is to harvest organic crops to donate to local food banks and pantries in the Lewes/Rehoboth area.

Teen Services Librarian Emily Ellinger said, “When I learned of what the Lewes Community Garden was doing, I knew Roots & Shoots had to get involved.”

Roots & Shoots club members will work with local, vetted Master Gardeners Perrin Smith and Karen Wilkins on the club’s newest project, feeding local families and people in need. During the peak of the 2020 quarantine, the Roots & Shoots members installed a Little Free Pantry in front of the Lewes Public Library on Adams Avenue as a resource for people struggling to find necessities like toiletries and food.

“We plan to fill our Little Free Pantry with any extra organic produce we harvest, as well as donating some to the local food banks. We just want the community to thrive, and we want people to know Roots & Shoots is working hard to serve them,” said Ellinger. 

Roots & Shoots is an organization created by Dr. Jane Goodall for young people who want to get involved and make a difference in the environment and their community.

Lewes Public Library’s Roots & Shoots club continues to host monthly meetings, community cleanups, and other projects. Club members are constantly seeking new ways to help people in need, animals and the environment. Club members may earn service hours for their participation.

For more information about Roots & Shoots meetings, check out the events calendar at lewes.lib.de.us or contact Ellinger at 302-645-2733.