by Isabelle Camoin ’26 on September 18, 2025
Local
On Wednesday, Sept. 10, Wanskuck Library debuted the People’s Garden of Wanskuck to the public by holding an opening ceremony. The garden’s development was spearheaded by Denise Brophy, a library manager who has been with Community Libraries of Providence for over a decade. Community Libraries of Providence is the largest library system in the state, formed by community non-profit members in order to save libraries across Rhode Island that were going to be lost due to budget cuts. After the Providence Public School District, the Community Libraries of Providence is the second largest free educational institution in the city.
The People’s Garden currently houses many raised beds of vegetation and herbary throughout the property, along with a wonderful fairy garden, encouraging genuine flourishing throughout the library grounds. There is an array of berries, vegetables, and herbs to enjoy including a structured bed for mushrooming, peach and plum trees, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, tomatoes, peppers, and herbs like mint, sage, and lemon balm.
The People’s Garden took a village to construct over the past year. Volunteers included friends, neighbors, local veterans, students at Providence College, members of the library, and a partnership with University of Rhode Island (URI)-Master Garden Project. URI-Master Garden Project picked up The People’s Garden as a project in February 2025.
The People’s Garden serves a mission that is multipurposed: educating the community on caring for and better understanding the environment, providing fresh produce to the community, allowing for access to whole foods, bringing together the neighborhood through a benevolent common cause, and supporting backyard gardens. The initiative is a part of an ongoing restorative project of public library grounds in the North End of Providence. A part of the mission involves programming and workshops to educate members of all ages in the community on how to garden and about native species local to Rhode Island in an attempt to sustain and grow our local ecosystem.
The ultimate goal is to grow a healthier community in nutrition and connection. Amidst a world focused on mass production, outsourcing local agriculture, the opportunity to learn important lessons on local ecology and how to tend to a sustainable garden has been limited.
The People’s Garden demonstrates a hopeful and accessible solution to bridge the community through ecological education. This solution utilizes generosity, education service, care, and hard work. Wanskuck Library has embraced these qualities to provide for the community through its volunteers and staff, including Brophy.
Although she is deemed the title of librarian, it may be more fitting to refer to her as a gold star example of what it means to be a good neighbor. Brophy is a light of hope in the community of Providence, modeling hard work in service for the community and its humanity. She will tell you all about the People’s Garden and the work that has been done to create it with a contagious smile on her face. Brophy cares about providing for the community in a sustainable way and believes in the People’s Garden as a bridge for the community.
The People’s Garden at Wanskuck Library is within a 15-minute walk from campus and is still filled with many service opportunities, whether it be simply acting with members of the community to tend to the garden or volunteering to construct more raised beds. Educational programming is offered to the public, and all students at PC who are interested in the initiative or gardening skills are welcome to attend. If you are simply looking for inspiration on a sustainable way to contribute to the community and engage in the outdoors, the People’s Garden is worth a visit and Brophy is a wonderful woman to connect with.
“Together, we will care for plants and grow food. We will enjoy fruit from our trees and berries from our bushes. We will share fresh vegetables and herbs from our raised beds, and recognize the importance of pollination gardens in attracting bees and butterflies that support all efforts. We will learn about plants native to Rhode Island and New England, which support our ecosystem,” said a representative for the People’s Garden of Wanskuck Library.