PUBLIC INVITED TO

DOVER - The public is invited to a free tree-lighting celebration Tuesday, December 10, in the Planting Hope for Delaware Garden at the Delaware Health and Social Services Herman Holloway Campus, 1901 N. DuPont Highway, New Castle.

The "Light the Lights" event, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., will feature opportunities to decorate the garden - a community project to develop accessible gardens for people of all abilities and to provide fresh, healthy food. Attendees will be welcomed with free warm cider and snacks. People are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items, which will be donated to Wilmington-area food closets. Secretary of Health and Social Services Rita Landgraf will lead the tree-lighting at 4:15 p.m. The tree was donated by Coleman's Christmas Tree Farm of Middletown.

"This celebration is a great way for us to encourage the community to visit the garden year-round," Secretary Landgraf said. "As good neighbors, we want the public to feel welcome coming to our Holloway Campus. But our greater hope is that people who join us in celebrating the holiday season will also help us to build healthier communities."

"The Planting Hope in Delaware partnership helps more people gain access to fresh Delaware-grown foods and benefit from working in the soil, one of the most therapeutic exercises of all," said Secretary of Agriculture Ed Kee. "We are excited to work with our friends and colleagues to bring local gardens and urban farms to even more communities throughout Delaware, and I hope everyone will come out and enjoy this wonderful holiday event."

To get to the Planting Hope in Delaware garden, enter the Herman Holloway Campus from U.S. 13 and take the first exit from the traffic circle, onto Tarumianz Turn. Take the left onto Calle Carmen Nazario, and turn right onto Debnam Drive at the T intersection. Turn left into the parking lot, and the garden is across the street.

The Planting Hope in Delaware Garden is a joint project of the Delaware Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Social Services. The initiative is growing plants and tending gardens to enhance the well-being and improve the health of the greater Herman Holloway Campus community in Wilmington/New Castle. The goal is to grow gardens that provide fresh, healthy food, stimulate the senses, offer respite, and create common ground for people of all abilities.

Events planned for 2014 include a tree-pruning workshop March 22 and an open garden day June 12. The campus farmers' market, offering produce from the garden, will open June 5.

Delaware Health and Social Services is committed to improving the quality of the lives of Delaware's citizens by promoting health and well-being, fostering self-sufficiency, and protecting vulnerable populations.