COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) —  The Joseph S. Azar Community Garden at T.S. Martin Neighborhood Park is now open. “This garden represents not only the concerted efforts of seniors and children, but it also represents who we are as a community, and as a city. As we continue to grow and bloom and blossom in ways that are necessary for fruitful living,” City of Columbia Councilman Ed McDowell. The garden will be used to cultivate vegetables for both community members and to teach students at nearby schools like W.A. Perry Middle School and C.A. Johnson High School, with the slogan “You can only harvest what you plant.” “Oh they would just be overjoyed, overjoyed because they were both people-persons. Mr. Azar, he started a reading program, my daddy always committed his life to serving kids, he was over the nysp program at usc, he developed a grant for that to help children, so they would be overjoyed,” says T.S. Martin’s daughter, Tommye Martin McMillan. Leaders say Azar believed in the power of volunteering, having ran for both city council and mayor during his lifetime before passing away in 2019 from cancer. “I think one of the things about joseph, you know they always say you don’t get involved in too many things, unfortunately he did, so he had a hard time saying no, but that’s where he was coming from. It came from the heart, and he would try to give more than he could and I think that’s really where it came from, he just wanted to give,” says Azar’s cousin, William Akel. The garden and park are located at 2700 Edison Street in Columbia. Categories: Local News, News Tags: City of Columbia, community garden, Ed McDowell, Joseph Azar, Tommye Martin McMillan, William Akel