Giving back: West Lafayette, Purdue Research Foundation employees teaming up for community service at Cumberland Park

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Employees from the city of West Lafayette and the Purdue Research Foundation plan to celebrate Earth Day on Monday (April 22) by teaming up for a day of service at Cumberland Park.

The group plans to build more than 75 planter boxes, a compost bin, and a soil bin as part of an effort to help relocate the community gardens in the park. The community gardens serve as a place for residents to grow fruits, vegetables and other plants for their own use and donation. The new site will offer more space than the previous garden, where there was a waiting list for plots.

“This is a public demonstration of the fantastic town-gown relationship between the city of West Lafayette and Purdue,” West Lafayette Mayor John Dennis said. “We work together in so many ways to try to make this city a better place to live and we are grateful for Purdue Research Foundation’s partnership.”

Brian Edelman, president of Purdue Research Foundation, said the idea for the day of service came from foundation employees who wanted to give back to the community as a group. The city of West Lafayette offered to join in the effort.

“This is a great opportunity to help people grow healthy food and to help the West Lafayette community,” Edelman said. “It also will be a great opportunity for us to get outside and interact with our West Lafayette partners. We’re eager to show our appreciation for being able to work in such a great city by getting our hands dirty and helping out.”

PRF and West Lafayette work together frequently on economic development efforts, such the $120 million State Street Project, which is nearly complete.

The volunteers on Monday will fill the planter boxes with soil, place stone between some boxes and put down mulch for the remaining planter boxes. Crews also will paint and stock the tool shed.

The day of service is the first for both the city of West Lafayette and PRF. The employees taking part in the day of service are doing so voluntarily. The effort will begin at 10 a.m. and is expected to run until 3 p.m.

About Purdue Research Foundation

The Purdue Research Foundation is a private, nonprofit foundation created to advance the mission of Purdue University. Established in 1930, the foundation accepts gifts; administers trusts; funds scholarships and grants; acquires property; protects Purdue's intellectual property; and promotes entrepreneurial activities on behalf of Purdue. The foundation manages the Purdue Foundry, Purdue Office of Technology Commercialization, Purdue Research Park and Purdue Technology Centers. The foundation received the 2016 Innovation and Economic Prosperity Universities Award for Innovation from the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. For more information about funding and investment opportunities in startups based on a Purdue innovation, contact the Purdue Foundry at foundry@prf.org.

Writer: Tom Coyne, 765-588-1044, tjcoyne@prf.org

Sources: Brian Edelman, beedelman@prf.org