Tucked in the southeastern corner of Deep East Texas, near the edge of Houston, one small library is digging into a big idea.

Inspired by other branches in the Harris County Public Library system, Nyla Vela, branch manager at the Jacinto City Library, launched a community garden to bring people together through food, education, and a shared sense of purpose.

“We are one tiny library in a big system here in the greater Houston area,” said Vela, who stepped into the role last November. “There’ve already been a couple of libraries that have done something similar, and the communities have been really, really just into the idea.”

She saw firsthand how gardens at other libraries didn’t just grow fresh produce — they grew connection. Some even donated vegetables back to local families. The idea stuck.

After hosting an adult gardening class — the branch’s most well-attended adult program all year — Vela decided to take the concept further. With encouragement from Yolanda Martin, a Community Resource Manager on the Community Sustainability Team at Communities Unlimited (CU), she applied for the Texas Library Association’s H-E-B-funded “Summer at the Library” grant. CU’s work in Deep East Texas, including Harris County, is made possible through support from the T.L.L. Temple Foundation.

Martin’s name came from a stack of business cards Vela inherited when she started the job.

“I looked through all the business cards and was reaching out to a bunch of people,” Vela said. “Yolanda’s business card happened to be in that pile, and I’m very, very grateful because she has connected us to such amazing opportunities.”

One of those was the $2,000 H-E-B grant now fueling the garden launch. The team recently received raised beds and seeds — including okra, carrots, cucumbers, and jalapeños — and is preparing to call on volunteers to help with planting and upkeep.

But it’s not just about growing food. The funding will also support garden-based educational programs, including workshops led by local Master Gardeners and Texas AgriLife — a key CU partner in East Texas — to teach the community how to grow in raised beds. Participants will even be able to take plants home.

“We’re also doing a seed library,” Vela added. “So even the stuff that we’re not planting right now, we’re going to be able to give out to the community for free.”

Vela sees the garden as a catalyst for wellness and connection.

“At the library, we’re no strangers to leisure programs,” she said. “But this also helps with nutrition, mental wellbeing, and community. It’s so hard to find places where you can be in community for free.”

The library also planted a pollinator-friendly wildflower garden out front — thanks to a separate mini-grant funded through the Trust for Civic Life. The Trust is a new national philanthropic collaborative investing in locally led efforts to strengthen civic connection across rural America. CU was one of its first grantees. Through this initiative, CU is supporting small “civic experiments” across its footprint — quick-start projects like Jacinto City’s native wildflower garden that help build new relationships, spark trust, and plant seeds of hope.

“They’re all Texas native wildflowers, and they’re starting to sprout,” Vela said. “It’s been really nice.”

Vela praised Martin as a vital connector and resource.

Martin also helped initiate partnerships with other organizations set to host fall programs at the library. More ideas are blooming. Vela hopes to enhance the outdoor area with seating for reading, collaborate with the city to improve the park across the street, and potentially create a Story Walk — a path that lets families read a picture book, page by page, as they stroll through nature.

“I feel like I have these lofty ideas,” Vela said. “And I’m able to ask Yolanda, ‘Hey, I’m thinking of having a nutritionist come to the library,’ and she says, ‘Yes, here are five people you can contact.’ It’s been really nice working with her.”

With raised beds ready, seeds in hand, and a growing circle of supporters, Jacinto City Library is planting more than vegetables — it’s sowing community, knowledge, and hope in a corner of Texas that’s ready to bloom.