Alberici Joins Community Partners to Celebrate New Pergola at Carondelet Food Patch

ST. LOUIS, Aug. 20, 2026 – Carondelet Food Patch, Alberici, CannonDesign and community partners held a ribbon cutting today to celebrate the completion of a new pergola. Roughly the size of an average two-car garage, the wood structure will provide South St. Louis residents with a permanent, shaded space for gardening classes, cooking demonstrations, youth education and neighborhood gatherings.

Carondelet Food Patch provides approximately 3,000 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables each year to people in and around the neighborhood. The new pergola expands its ability to offer programs that help residents grow fresh food, learn about healthy eating and build stronger neighborhood connections.

“This pergola gives our neighborhood much more than shade,” said Laura Gatlin, garden founder and co-leader. “It gives residents a welcoming place to learn from one another, share healthy food and spend time with their neighbors. It will allow Carondelet Food Patch to offer more programs and create an even stronger sense of community.”

The project also demonstrates how vacant land can be transformed into productive green space and a lasting community asset through volunteer service, donated materials and professional expertise. Alberici employees and participating organizations contributed design and engineering expertise, construction labor, materials and volunteer time.

“At Alberici, we believe construction can create opportunities that extend well beyond the structures we build,” said Kevin Williams, executive vice president at Alberici. “This project brought together our employees, industry partners and community

organizations to create a useful and lasting resource for Carondelet residents. We are proud to have helped turn the community’s vision into a place that will serve families for years to come.”

The pergola also provided a hands-on educational opportunity for participants from LitShop, a St. Louis nonprofit that helps girls develop confidence and leadership skills through literacy, construction and making. Participants learned about architecture, engineering, construction and skilled-trades careers while helping advance the project from concept through construction. They also created decorative infill panels incorporated into the completed pergola.

“The design process was shaped by the people who will use this space and by the young women who helped create it,” said Steven Wheeler, senior associate at CannonDesign. “The result is a functional, welcoming structure that reflects the character of the neighborhood while showing students that their ideas and creative abilities have a meaningful place in architecture and design.”

The new pergola will support gardening and healthy-eating education, environmental programs, youth activities, cooking demonstrations and community events. It will also provide shade for residents and volunteers working in or visiting the garden.

Participating organizations included Alberici, LitShop, Carondelet Food Patch, CannonDesign, IMEG, and Sisters in the Brotherhood. Other supporting organizations include Beck Disposal, Inc., Budrovich, Fick Supply Service, Inc., K&K Supply, Leonard Masonry, MOWIT, Native Landscape Solutions, Inc., NuWay Concrete Forms, Inc., Paynecrest Electric, R&R Sanitation, Site Systems Landscaping, LLC, and Waterhout Construction, Inc.

ABOUT CARONDELET FOOD PATCH
Carondelet Food Patch is a community garden in South St. Louis that empowers residents to grow fresh, nutritious food while strengthening connections among neighbors. By transforming vacant lots into sustainable green spaces, the organization promotes healthy eating, education, environmental stewardship, personal empowerment and neighborhood beautification. Learn more at foodpatch.org.

ABOUT LITSHOP
LitShop provides literacy and hands-on building experiences that help girls develop confidence, leadership and practical skills. Its programming combines reading and writing with construction and making, giving participants opportunities to take creative risks, work collaboratively and learn from professionals in architecture, engineering and construction.

ABOUT ALBERICI
Alberici is a diversified construction company that partners with leading organizations to build the critical structures that improve lives and strengthen communities. Since our founding in 1918, Alberici has built some of North America’s most challenging projects. Along the way, we’ve earned a reputation for executing with quality, safety and trust backed by more than 100 years of experience providing construction solutions to the automotive, commercial, civil, energy, food and beverage, healthcare, heavy industrial, industrial process, marine and water/wastewater industries. Alberici is ranked the 40th largest builder (Engineering News-Record, May 2026) with annual revenues of over $4.2 billion. With approximately 3,200 salaried employees and craft professionals, the company is headquartered in St. Louis with offices in Burlington, ON and throughout North America. More information about the company is available online at www.alberici.com or by following the company on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.