Burkhardt, library team up on raised garden beds

Matthew Burkhardt, a Boy Scout with Troop 503, chose the T.B. Scott Free Library’s raised garden beds as his Eagle Scout project.
The library added a Mini Food Pantry to its community services in November 2025, following a trend among libraries statewide that pair food pantries with vegetable gardens to give people access to fresh produce. Looking to expand on that effort, library staff reached out to Troop 503 about a possible partnership. Burkhardt and his Eagle Scout team put together a proposal, and the project moved forward from there.
The raised beds now sit near the library’s front entrance, where anyone in need is welcome to use them.
The project was funded through a Carnegie Foundation gift the library received earlier this year to mark the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.