Decatur To Consider $15,000 For 'Kitchen Garden'

The Decatur City Commission is expected to vote Monday night on whether to give $15,000 to the "Kitchen Garden" maintained by refugees at the Methodist Children's Home.

In early 2012, the city kicked in $40,000 as start-up money for the gardening project, which provides a chance to work for refugees who often arrive in the United States with only agricultural skills.

The refugees, mostly women, grow vegetables they sell at farmers markets and through a community supported agriculture program. The children's home leases the land for the garden for $1 per year.

The contract will be with Refugee Family Services, the parent organization of Global Growers Network.

The meeting starts at 7:30 p.m. Monday in city hall. The commission will hold an executive session at 6 p.m. on legal matters and a dinner session at 6:30 p.m. The dinner session is open to the public, as is the 7:30 p.m. meeting.

To see the agenda, go to the City of Decatur website.

Residents can watch the meeting on live streaming video on their home computers by going to the city website.

The commission meeting will still be broadcast live on Comcast channel 25 and rebroadcast at 2 p.m. Saturday.