The garden fell into disrepair during the pandemic, and students are now working to bring it back to life.
USC’s Undergraduate Student Government approved $3,489.56 in funding Tuesday evening for the Parkside Garden Restoration Project, which will be led by the SC Garden Club.
“The Parkside Garden is the only on-campus student-run community learning garden,” said Aidan Leitch, the operations lead for the SC Garden Club. “It’s really the only opportunity for students on-campus to get their hands in some soil and really learn about gardening.”
The SC Garden Club cited that the garden’s availability provides many benefits to the USC community, as it serves as composting facility, a green space for leisure and a source of gardening programming which has mental and physical health benefits. SC Garden Club’s funding request included money for tools, plant support, compost, pest control, labeling and storage.
“All of these tools that we’re requesting have been thought through a lot by the Garden Club E-Board,” said Olivia Heffernan, the president of the SC Garden Club and senior environmental studies major. “They’re what we think is necessary to support this space for years to come.”