With support from the Cawaco RC&D grant program, Birmingham’s Lovelady Center gave its beloved rooftop garden a fresh start, and the women who tend it a place to grow.
About the Lovelady Center
Everyone deserves the opportunity for another chance. That’s the foundation that the Lovelady Center in Birmingham was built on. Founded in 2004, the Center supports 550 women and children by helping them break the cycle of incarceration, addiction, and poverty. Founder Brenda Lovelady envisioned it not as a halfway house, but a “wholeway house” — a residential program offering a comprehensive path forward through GED attainment, counseling, job readiness, and addiction recovery support.
Rooftop Garden
A 2,000 square foot rooftop garden has become a cornerstone of life at the Lovelady Center. For 80% of residents, it is the primary outdoor space, used daily for growing food, developing job skills, accessing educational programming, and participating in horticultural therapy.
2,000
sq. ft. rooftop garden
80
resident volunteer hours per month
20
Jefferson County Master Gardener hours per month
The garden thrives because of deep community investment. Volunteers from the Jefferson County Master Gardeners contribute 20 hours each month, while Lovelady residents themselves put in 80 hours tending beds, learning, and finding purpose in the process.
Michelle Barnes, the Center’s Garden Management Director, has guided the garden for three years, helping to bring it to life as a place of refreshment and renewal for the women who call Lovelady home.
International Recognition
The Lovelady Garden’s impact has not gone unnoticed. In 2025, the garden was awarded second place in the David Gibby International Master Gardener Search for Excellence Awards. This prestigious recognition is presented by the Extension Master Gardener National Committee.
New Beds for a New Season
The garden’s 12 beds were originally built with 16 feet by 8 feet railroad ties. After years of facing the elements, the beds had degraded significantly and needed a fresh start.
With support from the Cawaco RC&D grant program and dedicated volunteers, the Lovelady Center installed brand new garden beds in time for the 2026 planting season.
“It’s inspiring to see how this rooftop garden has become such a meaningful part of daily life at the Lovelady Center,” said Cawaco’s programs manager, Patti Pennington. “With these new beds in place, the garden can continue to be a space where women find peace, purpose, and the opportunity to grow in every sense of the word.”
Growing Forward
The Lovelady Center’s commitment to the rooftop garden goes beyond the beds themselves. Leadership envisions expanding small business development through garden-produced products, expanding the garden from a place to grow food to a platform for economic development.
With these new beds in place, the garden can continue to be a space where women find peace, purpose, and the opportunity to grow in every sense of the word.
About Cawaco RC&D
Cawaco is dedicated to the conservation, development and sustained use of natural and community resources. Cawaco proudly serves Blount, Chilton, Jefferson, Shelby, and Walker counties of Alabama. The RC&D Grant Program is a direct investment in community impact by providing competitive grants to small towns and nonprofits for projects that are likely to make a broad community, environmental, or educational impact. Applications are open April 1 – June 30 of every year.
