The corner of Columbia and Oldham avenues just got a little healthier.

Columbia Grown Vegetables, a community-grown garden at 544 Columbia Ave., was created last summer by Embrace United Methodist Church to inspire a community project and to teach people how to garden who do not know how, said Steve Fisher, head of discipleship at Embrace.

Fisher said there are about 20 people involved with the project and they meet every Tuesday to pick vegetables and to maintain the garden.  Fisher also said the garden aims to give people food who need it.

Rosario Picardo, lead pastor of Embrace, is part of the Columbia Heights Neighborhood Association.  He said he told the association about the idea of a garden, and then received permission from UK to start the garden in that area for free.

“I think community gardens are something that not only can produce fresh vegetables for people who are hungry, but it gives us an opportunity to invest in the lives of others. The garden was just an avenue to do that,” Picardo said.

The seeds for the garden were donated from various people from the church and people working in the garden, said Jon Imeson, a student at Bluegrass Community and Technical College. Imeson has been working on the garden since the beginning.

About 10 people have come to the church for food donations, Picardo said, and the food is given out on Sundays or door-to-door.

Vegetables in the garden include corn, tomatoes, green beans, cucumbers, watermelon and peppers.

Picardo said he hopes the garden will eventually be part of a garden tour in Lexington.

“The garden … has really brought different people together, older people, younger people, students, neighborhood people, people that you otherwise wouldn’t have any other reason to talk to,” Picardo said.