Love is in the air?

At St. Peter’s Kitchen on Brown Street, it’s actually in the ground.

The St. Peter’s Garden of Love held a celebratory event June 24 to commemorate its revamped garden, which was made possible with help from Foodlink and one dedicated Eagle Scout.

Assistant Director Mary Lupien said the plot of land behind St. Peter’s went from a mess of weeds one year, to four beds last year, to this year’s much-improved 9-bed layout, complete with an impressive drip irrigation system.

Joey Philippone, an Eagle Scout with Troop 110 in Webster, undertook the project after he was connected to St. Peter’s through his mother, who has been volunteering there for years. He said he spent 245 hours on the project between March and June.

Bok choy and arugula was already aplenty on the day of the celebration, and this summer they are expecting tomatoes, radishes, collared greens, squash, beans, zucchini and more. Joey, with help from his father, installed the garden’s sign June 24 to celebrate the culmination of the project.

Foodlink had a heavy presence at the event. The Curbside Market made a stop at the kitchen, which also hosts a soup kitchen as one of Foodlink’s member agencies. There was also a Eat Smart NY nutrition education demonstration held during the garden celebration.

The garden is one of 29 that Foodlink has partnered with throughout its service area.

“We couldn’t do it without Foodlink,” said Lupien, who added that they were able to harvest a few hundred pounds last year, but a hungry groundhog prevented that number from rising.

This year, groundhog or no groundhog (hopefully the latter), there is optimism for more.