What started with $6,000 worth of seeds and fertilizer has grown into one of the most enduring community programs in Northwest Alabama, and BVI has been proud to be a part of it.
In December 1974, TVA launched the “Win-Garden Program” in Northwest Alabama, providing qualifying residents with seeds and fertilizer to help them grow their own gardens. The response was immediate and overwhelming with more than 500 families signed up. In February 1975, Dr. Gerald Williams of TVA stepped in to provide fertilizer for the program, and his commitment to the community left a lasting mark. Several years later, the program was renamed the Gerald Williams Garden Program in his honor, a name it proudly carries to this day.
Like so many things, COVID brought a change to how the program operates. Rather than distributing seeds and fertilizer directly, the program shifted to a voucher model, allowing recipients to take their voucher to a local co-op and select what works best for their own garden. The change has been a success and remains in place today.
To qualify for the program, residents must live in Lauderdale, Colbert, or Franklin counties and meet household income guidelines. This year alone, the program served approximately 700 families with $25,000 in support — a remarkable impact that speaks to just how much this program means to the region.
Each year, the program kicks off around mid-February and runs for approximately five weeks. BVI volunteers play an important role throughout, answering phones, gathering applicant information, and mailing vouchers to families across the three-county area.
Now in its fifth decade, the Gerald Williams Garden Program is a testament to what a little ‘seed’ money, and a lot of community commitment, can grow.
Pictured (left to right): Delores Huzar, Joan Marsh, Carol Sherer, Anita Vandiver, Greg Vandiver, Bob Atwell, and Billy Baggett. Not pictured: Lile Bickley, Tim Cornelius, Jan Corneilus, and Cameron Kay.