EDENTON — A new community garden, freshly trimmed landscaping, bird feeders and even a hopscotch course have taken shape outside Shepard-Pruden Memorial Library this week, the result of a community grant secured by the library’s new county librarian through her own knowledge of how her former employer gives back.
A gallery of images of the landscaping appears at the end of this story.
Anna Louise Kallas, who began her job as county librarian in November, drew on three years of part-time work at Lowe’s to make the project happen. Knowing the company offered community grants, she reached out to the Elizabeth City store shortly after starting her new role to inquire about redoing the library’s community garden.
The effort paid off. A Lowe’s crew from the Elizabeth City store was at Shepard-Pruden on Tuesday and Wednesday of last week, March 24 and 25, redoing the landscaping, trimming bushes, planting flowers and installing an herb and flower garden. Lowe’s supplied everything — materials for the landscaping and garden, bird poles for feeders, a garden table and a hopscotch course.
The project came together through the efforts of Modesta D. Lamb at the Elizabeth City Lowe’s store, who shepherded the proposal through the company’s approval process and worked alongside Kallas to develop a vision for the library’s outdoor spaces.
“I worked for Lowe’s for three years as a part-time employee,” Kallas said. “I knew that Lowe’s did Community Grants. Upon starting my job in November as County Librarian and knowing that Lowe’s did these grants, I reached out to the Elizabeth City store to inquire about redoing our community garden.”
From that initial inquiry, Lamb took the proposal and moved it through the corporate approval chain. “Ms. Modesta D. Lamb at the Elizabeth City, NC Lowe’s store passed this grant through Lowe’s for Shepard-Pruden to her supervisors and it was approved,” Kallas said. “Ms. Lamb worked with me regarding a vision for Shepard-Pruden landscaping and community garden.”
The finished result, Kallas said, is something she hopes will draw the broader Edenton community to spend time at the library — not just inside, but outside as well.
“I wish to thank Lowe’s Elizabeth City, NC store along with Ms. Modesta D. Lamb and her crew for their assistance in working with me for this Community Grant,” Kallas said. “Lowe’s Corporation has a business philosophy of giving back to local communities and Shepard-Pruden Memorial Library was chosen for a community grant.”
For Kallas, the project carries personal meaning as someone who is new to the job and eager to make her mark on the library’s place in the community.
“I am truly blessed that Lowe’s saw the vision to make Shepard-Pruden Memorial Library a shining star enhancing the outer beauty of the library here in Edenton, NC,” she said. “Please come visit our beautiful outside space and garden areas here at Shepard-Pruden Memorial Library.”
The community garden and landscaping improvements are the latest developments at Shepard-Pruden, which serves Chowan County residents from its location in downtown Edenton. The addition of bird feeders, a garden table and the hopscotch area suggests the library is aiming to make its outdoor space welcoming not just to adult visitors but to families and children as well.
Kallas’s ability to navigate the grant process speaks to a broader opportunity for local institutions — knowledge of corporate giving programs, and the right contact within a company, can translate directly into improvements that would otherwise be difficult to fund through traditional municipal budgets.
The library’s new outdoor spaces are open to the public.
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