BUCHANAN – A new garden filled with tomato, pepper, cabbage and assorted other plants has taken root at the Buchanan Area Senior Center. Center staff and volunteers planted the new garden in raised beds behind the center on Rynearson Road just before the start of the Memorial Day weekend.

The Freida Barker Memorial Garden was made possible with donations in memory of longtime center supporter and patron Freida Barker as well as contributions from other donors. Barker’s son, Kevin, donated his architectural expertise to designing the senior center in 2010.

Center Executive Director Adam Burck noted that the new garden fits in perfectly with the center’s mission.

“The Buchanan Area Senior Center promotes physical, social and mental well-being and this garden helps further this mission,” he said. “The raised beds also make it easier and more accessible for the seniors.”

Burck has been the director since the first of the year and previously worked in the community and economic development field in Chicago. He’s glad to see the center doing something like the community garden.

“I think it’s great. I’ve done them before in Chicago,” he said. “This one was already in progress when I got here.”

Burck came to southwest Michigan initially because his family was here. His mother lived in Harbert and his brother and his family in Galien. He moved his mother to Bertrand Township to be closer to his brother and later moved here himself.

The garden will provide fresh and nutritious garden produce to the center’s senior citizens as well as the greater community. Center program director Jan Ferris said those who work in the garden will have first choice of the produce grown with whatever is left given to those coming to the center for free commodities.

The garden was a hit with senior volunteers as they worked to sow seeds and get the different plants in the soil.

“I enjoy gardening. My husband and I always had a big garden,” said Jill Garmire. “I was the first one to say I’d help when they talked about it. … I’ll be here to help as long as my arthritis lets me.”

When asked what her favorite vegetable was, she said she likes everything but especially likes the broccoli.

“I insisted on them having broccoli,” she said. “… This is wonderful.”

The idea to have a garden at the center started when Monroe Lemay was the director. She is currently the president of the center’s board and is glad to see the garden become a reality.

“I’m happy that is finally here,” Lemay said. “We started raising money for it and were able to get it going this year. It’s exciting.”

In addition to the eight raised beds that make up the garden, it will also feature an arbor at its entrance that will have flowering plants growing on it. Burck expects to have a formal ribbon cutting for the new garden later in June.

Those donating to the garden included the Berrien Community Foundation, Brew Ha Ha, Buchanan Area Chamber of Commerce, the Freida Barker Memorial Fund, Honor Credit Union, Scarecrow Charities, Vite’s Greenhouse, Linda Fisk, Roma Holmes, Betty Letcher, Lawrence and Elaine Marsh, Gil Robbins, Yvonne Shaw, Russ Stephens and Leona Wonacott.