Blackbelt Benefit Group’s (BBG) Grow Selma project is once again underway nearly five- years after the projects inception.

BBG developed the idea for Grow Selma in 2014. The organization leased a plot of land in Selma’s Mill Village neighborhood for a year and a half before buying the land outright in 2016 thanks to a donation from The United Way.

A grant from ALA-TOM RC&D Council allowed the BBG to purchase a tractor to be used for gardening and maintaining the plot of land.

Earlier this year, Bush Hog, Inc. donated a tiller and Bush Hog attachment to further assist the organization in its efforts to begin the community garden project.

BBG President Josh Wilkerson said via press release that the support of organizations like The United Way, ALA-TOM RC&D Council and Bush Hog, Inc. are what has kept the project going.

“That support is what keeps us going and continues to motivate and encourage us to press on,” said Wilkerson.

BBG Executive Director Laura Donovan is also excited to see the project back on track.

Donovan hopes that the organization can introduce native plants to the property.

Native plants are those that naturally grow in a region without human introduction.

Donovan said that native plants are highly beneficial to the environment, nurturing local pollinators like bees, butterflies and hummingbirds as well as add a distinct character to the environment.