The Selma-Dallas County YMCA has partnered with Grant Work, LLC, to raise money for a community garden called Selma Seedlings.

Through Seed Money, an online crowdfunding site, the YMCA is asking for the community’s support to make this dream a reality.

“We had such a great camp experience this year with serving over 100 children in both of our camp programs. And I realized it was a perfect opportunity to plant a garden,” said Ann Murray, CEO of the Selma-Dallas County YMCA. “It’s going to be right here at the Y. We have all these children here, and we want to expose them to everything good that gardening can bring to them.”

Murray said she hopes to have the garden ready to go by spring and fully operational by summer when all of the campers will be headed back to the Y.

Carolyn Powell, founder and grant writer at Grant Work, LLC, is a native of Selma, and said she is excited to be helping with this project.

“Living in Selma, I am very passionate about grass roots projects. In our area, what we need to do is uplift the people that are here. The youth are our future, and that’s our priority, to try to help uplift our kids,” Powell said. “This teaches children about growing their own food.”

Powell said beyond youth learning how to grow produce, she hopes that the garden will teach the children about marketing, selling and even donating the food.

“Then the vision would be for some of the food to be donated to the local pantry, and sell some of the food,” Powell said. “Kids could learn how to develop some of those skills. So what [the YMCA is] trying to do is teach them about good nutrition, teach them about healthy lifestyles, which is what the Y is all about, growing their own food and then learning some skills to where they actually might could even sell some of the food.”

Rachel Cagle, a grant consultant for Grant Work, is the one who set up the YMCA’s page on Seed Money.

The funding is part of a 30-day challenge where 239 different organizations are asking for help to fund their own community gardens.

“It is a part of the non-profit, Kitchen Gardeners International. Their whole goal is to get food gardens to thrive,” Cagle said. “The first 75 groups to reach $400 would get matched $400. They aren’t even 28 hours into this 30-day challenge, and they’ve had over 1,100 people donate over $50,000 to 239 projects. And within those 28 hours, 68 programs have already reached the $400 goal.”

Selma was one of those 68 programs to reach $400 in the first 28 hours, so after the 30 days, Seed Money will match the $400 and add it to the total amount.

As of Monday night, seven people have donated a total of $660 to the Y’s project.

“We’re just in the very beginning stages of starting to plan for next spring,” Murray said. “I’m really encouraged.”

Murray said the project is important for the community and especially for the children.

“I think it’s important because good, healthy eating is a goal that we want to strive for,” Murray said. “Children when they grow up eating fast food and potato chips and all that kind of snack stuff, then they will follow through doing that their whole life. But if they learn how to eat healthy foods and learn that they can even be part of the processes of growing them, it will light a spark that will follow with them forever.”

To donate money to the project, visit www.seedmoney.org and search for Selma Seedlings. The donation period will end Dec. 16 at 11:59 p.m.