The dedication of a community garden was made on Thursday evening, June 18, 2020, to Mel Mellenberger, a long-time community servant. The community garden, built on property near the rodeo grounds in Winnsboro, was completed earlier this year and first cultivated in March. This is it’s first growing season and it has already produced early crops of greens and now is producing tomatoes, squash and other summer vegetables that the members enjoy growing. A crowd was in attendance for the dedication, delivered by David Taylor, Pastor of Walnut Street Baptist Church. A welcome and recognitions were given by Stacy Knight-Finley, Director of the Winnsboro Dept. of Parks and Recreation.
During the dedication, it was stated, “Mel Mellenberger was a community volunteer in all things, a trait carried over from his service in the US Marine Corps; Church events, Winnsboro ISD school events, civic events, parades, the Food Bank, VIPS (Volunteers in Police Service), HAWKS, Hooves&Halos… the list of his contributions goes on, including the setup, security, and teardown weekly of the Farmers Market. He had just been elected to the Winnsboro City Council when he passed unexpectedly at the age of 77 on June 18, 2019. When discussion came about as to what to call the new community garden, the topic started and stopped with “Mel!!” The garden provides hands-on educational classes for citizens of all ages, food stability knowledge, and will support the Winnsboro Resource Center with fresh produce as it grows.”
