The prospect of a community garden in Lunenburg County, headed by BLISS of Lunenburg, in conjunction with Central High School Nutrition and Wellness Students, Culinary Arts Students, members of FBLA and sponsored by Virginia State University (VSU), is an exciting one, and one that will start a lot sooner than not. Participants can check out and join in with volunteers for planting day on Saturday.

My first and only garden I planted as a child was with my dad in front of our aged swing set. Set with tiny green bell peppers, cherry tomatoes and cilantro, surrounded by marigolds to ward offbugs, the chance to watch the tiny plants flourish, knowing me and my dad helped bring about their growth, was incredibly exciting.

Knowing that this garden in Lunenburg, which will include a decidedly larger spread of kale, lettuce, cabbage, spinach, beets, string beans, potatoes, corn, squash, zucchini, eggplants, tomatoes, cucumbers, okra and sweet potatoes among others will benefit the community must be that much more exciting for BLISS, for Central High School students and for representatives of VSU.

The garden space could double in the next year, a news release from BLISS noted, and volunteers could absolutely help contribute to those odds.

To learn more about the community garden, contact Clarence Clarke or Lena Clarke at (434) 696-1330.

If Saturday seems like a great day to spend outdoors, volunteering for an equally important cause nearby, the Town of Victoria is holdings its town-wide cleanup day.

Participants can meet at the flagpoles at Railroad Park at 9:30 a.m. and will spread out to the entrances of the town, the Tobacco Heritage Trail, downtown and several streets to pick up trash and help keep the community looking beautiful.

Emily Hollingsworth is a staff writer for The Kenbridge-Victoria Dispatch and Farmville Newsmedia LLC. Her email address is Emily.Hollingsworth@ KVDispatch.com.