Life-Changing Outreach
A man in a green shirt gestures toward a garden bed while leading a group of four children through a lush outdoor garden. The children observe the plants closely under a bright blue sky with scattered clouds and surrounding trees.

Growing Community

Green text reading “Growing Community,” with “Growing” in bold block letters and “Community” in a flowing script font.
How One Father’s Garden Blossomed into a Lifeline for Alabama Communities
Mary Kate Hughes
I

In 2012, Sean Forbes planted a garden at his son’s school.

“My son was upset when he came home from school one day. He was sad that his first-grade class only spent five minutes outside that day,” he said. “We were already gardening together at home so that gave us an idea.”

More than 12 years later, that garden has transformed into O Grows, a local food project that focuses on community, partnership and philanthropy. Located in Opelika, Alabama, O Grows is situated at the intersection of two of the five most food-insecure areas in Lee County and provides food, resources and education to local communities.

A professor of educational psychology in Auburn’s College of Education, Forbes has built O Grows into an organization that fully demonstrates Auburn’s core values of research, instruction and outreach. O Grows offers a year-round community garden and the only direct-to-consumer farmers market in Opelika.

The organization also lends itself to hands-on learning for teacher education students, offering a summer market, youth and adult educational programs, demonstrations and more.

“Our mission has adapted over the years,” Forbes said. “Initially, it was about giving local children experiential education, but today we know our curriculum does even more than educate. It’s also a proxy for what people have been doing since the beginning of time — building community. That can’t be manufactured or forced, but out here, it happens every day.”

While pursuing her doctorate in administration of higher education, Kadisha Francois worked as Forbes’ graduate assistant, which included joining the O Grows staff. For Francois, the experience reinforced the idea that there is no one right way to learn.

“I think the notion that learning occurs solely in the classroom is both untrue and outdated,” said Francois. “Working with O Grows proved that learning can occur everywhere.”

As an international student from Trinidad and Tobago, Francois greatly valued her time working in the O Grows farmer’s market, allowing her to make connections and form bonds within the Auburn area.

“It was the highlight of my week as I got to interact with the vendors and customers, learning their stories and creating new relationships,” she said. “I am an international student, so my whole experience is centered around the college. Working with Dr. Forbes at O Grows allowed me to feel connected to the community for the first time since I have been at Auburn. It was truly an honor.”

Forbes recently received The Royrickers Cook Endowed Engagement Award for his contributions to our community and dedication to serving the underserved.

A young child with rainbow-framed glasses and a colorful Camp Orion t-shirt bites into a small yellow tomato while holding a half-eaten green bell pepper. The child stands in a lush vegetable garden on a sunny day.
“The O Grows program exemplifies the university’s commitment to community partnership and outreach by addressing issues of food insecurity in the Opelika area,” said College of Education Dean Jeffrey Fairbrother. “It is an honor for Sean Forbes to be recognized by University Outreach with this prestigious award, and it reinforces our commitment to continue this important work.”

O Grows hosts its farmer’s market every Tuesday at the Southside Center for the Arts in Opelika, and offers “fairly priced” fresh produce and assists locals by offering space for farmers who accept food benefits like SNAP and the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program. Check out the O Grows webpage to learn more.

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