Before Isabelle Finnegan entered the health sciences pre-physician’s assistant program at Carlow University in 2022, she began working as a patient care technician at Presbyterian Hospital, where many of her patients experience homelessness and food insecurity.
Last February, Ms. Finnegan put a project in motion to help address food insecurity: a community garden, called “Grace’s Garden.” All of the produce from Grace’s Garden is not only for the Carlow community, but for the greater Oakland community, too. Nearly all of what’s grown gets donated to The Purple Door, Carlow’s on-campus food pantry that offers free resources to community members in need.
“One of the needs that I saw that was needed to be met in Oakland — as Oakland is a food desert — is that it's really difficult to find fresh fruit, vegetables, produce in general in the area,” said Ms. Finnegan, now a senior at Carlow.
The Purple Door is open to both members of the Carlow community and those who live in the area, said Briana Beach, a student involved with the pantry. It offers nonperishables, produce, frozen foods, hygiene items and clothes, she said.
“We kind of have it all, and we're open to just helping those in need,” Ms. Beach said.
About a fifth of Pittsburgh’s residents experience food insecurity, a statistic Ms. Finnegan said made her see the need even more. But the origin story of the garden, named “Grace’s Garden,” goes deeper than that.
“My grandmother, who the garden is named after, she grew up food insecure, and so did my mother,” Ms. Finnegan said. “And she gardened for her neighborhood and for my family whenever she could, like in the spring and summertime. And so that's where I get my green thumb from.”
Ms. Finnegan’s grandmother, who died in 2019, was known as Grandma Grace by her grandchildren, Ms. Finnegan said.
Last May, Ms. Finnegan said she and other students, faculty and her family raised the garden in two days on Carlow’s campus in Oakland. The start of the garden garnered a lot of community involvement — from local gardeners, flower shops, hardware stores and campus organizations, she said.
Now, the garden, which Ms. Finnegan said is a campus-wide initiative, has a foundation of about a dozen students that are “religiously working in the garden or on the project.”
“We are growing food for a community of people that need to eat, right? Everyone needs to eat,” she said. “And specifically in this community, we know that there are people who are less privileged and have a harder time securing healthy food options.”
While people in the community can make donations, Ms. Beach said most of the large food quantities come from the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, in addition to Grace’s Garden. The food bank is a partner of The Purple Door, along with the American Heart Association, which installed a blood pressure station in the pantry.
The Purple Door is open Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at Aidan Hall through a purple door, giving it its name. Like Grace’s Garden, Ms. Beach said the pantry is a community effort that involves volunteering from students and the Sisters of Mercy on campus.
“The overall goal for The Purple Door is just providing people in need a safe space that they can rely on for food, clothing, and even just support,” Ms. Beach said.
First Published: March 18, 2025, 9:30 a.m.
Updated: March 18, 2025, 7:49 p.m.
