The mission of this garden is to create a beautiful, shared, public space for growing organic fruits and vegetables to provide healthy organic foods to residents of Southside Place and nearby neighbors. Surplus produce is donated to local food banks. Planting and harvesting is done by members following a master plan for plant selection, fertilization, and crop rotation. The garden is used to facilitate educational programs at local schools, providing an ideal setting to cover topics such as the food supply, nutrition, botany, insects, sustainability and others, as well as teaching life skills such as responsibility, and accountability. The garden is also be a gathering place for our neighbors, whether for intimate family picnics or large social events, to foster relationships among members of our community.The garden organization, an affiliate member of Urban Harvest, began February 24, 2013 in a public meeting. We voted to have a communal garden, possibly with some allotted plots for rent by individuals at a later date. The City of Southside Place awarded us the use of one city-owned lot for at least for five years. In 2016, the City also agreed to allow us to use a second lot, on which we currently envision planting trees and having walkways, but adding no permanent structures. We became an official 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation effective October 7, 2013 so that your charitable contributions are tax-deductible. Since then, we have installed plumbing, built the first eight raised beds and planted and harvested organically grown crops every season. The front and side habitat gardens attract beneficial insects and have qualified as a certified butterfly habitat. We built a tool shed, sponsored by Texas Citizens Bank. We also erected a pergola, sponsored by Lovett Homes, which is now the focal point for gathering neighbors together. We write a monthly column, “What's growing on in the garden," which serves as our public newsletter published in Southside Living Magazine. We have had several lively fundraising parties and have generated a lot of interest and camaraderie in our community.