Newsletter November, 2022

Hey everyone!

November is here, and we’re proud to have wrapped up the growing season with more collaborations than ever.

message from the executive TEAM

open positions

Climate Safe Neighborhoods

GREEN TEAM

GROUND CORPS

MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE TEAM

It’s Not Just A Garden

Groundwork Milwaukee Garden Leaders are responsible for more than ten acres of vacant land being activated in Milwaukee County. These volunteer environmentalists are staving off the effects of climate change by preserving greenspaces in neighborhoods that are being hit hard by the environmental hazards of urban life. They choose a city owned plot, assemble local gardeners as crew, and get busy! Some gardens are memorials dedicated to lost loved ones, others pollinator gardens meant to feed birds and bees. There are gardens meant to offer shade, or solace, or food or fun. 

Two things that every neighborhood insists on are beauty and comfort.  That means our gardens are beautiful and comfortable in as many ways as there are gardeners! Thank you, Garden Leaders, for helping make Milwaukee beautiful and Climate Safe!

Listen to one of our Garden Leaders talk about the importance of her community garden here.

OPEN POSITIONS

Ground Corps Member — Groundwork Milwaukee (squarespace.com)

Climate Safe Neighborhoods Organizing and Outreach Manager — Groundwork Milwaukee (squarespace.com)

Climate Safe Neighborhoods

An important part of our year end results is the release of a Flood and Health Vulnerability assessment for Milwaukee. We’ve been collaborating with Wisconsin Health Professionals For Climate Action, Data You Can Use, Medical College of Wisconsin, The New School and Groundwork USA to create an interactive tool which lets us predict the impact of climate change on urban environments, and help vulnerable neighborhoods thrive in any weather.

Join our Mailing list to receive a free copy of this groundbreaking development.

Hilltop Community Garden

Volunteer.

We’re proud to support our inspiring gardeners and look forward to working together over winter, and next season. Keep an eye out for weekly opportunities on our Volunteer Sign-Up page and social media.

Green Team

Green Team has shut down for the summer, but we did some cool weather gardening with our friends at Golda Meir School! We also spent time recruiting supporters for next year’s Green Team. potential board members joined us for breakfast at Engine Company Three

Below are pictures of the lively and productive meeting.

GROUND CORPS

Ground Corps Completes Healing Spaces, and expands Green initiatives through 2024

Ground Corps has been busy all over Milwaukee working on green infrastructure construction and maintenance; building and maintaining bioswales, rain harvest structures and ADA accessible healing gardens. We built Healing spaces in neighborhoods this season, partnered with the city of Milwaukee. 

Phase Two of Healing Spaces Initiative effort is part of Groundwork Milwaukee’s commitment to make on-the-job skill building an important part of building Milwaukee’s central city.

Why is green infrastructure certification and training in the neighborhood important?

First, opening the land to absorb rainfall where vulnerable populations live in Milwaukee stops rainwater runoff into the sewer system and basements.

Second, providing shade and ground cover in high pavement areas, lowers the surface temperature on hot days, which can positively impact quality of life for residents.

Jobs and jobs training for neighbors interested in pursuing urban forestry as a career path prepares engaged neighbors for a green future in Milwaukee .

Newsletter, June 2022

Hey everyone! It’s the June newsletter! Early summer is one of the most exciting times of year for Groundwork. Last month we welcomed our Green Team and have already been out learning, building and growing in the neighborhood. We’re grateful for the good energy this crew has brought. Read what Green Team has been working on along with other program updates here, in the June edition of the Groundwork newsletter.

message from the executive director

open positions

green space action

GREEN TEAM

GROUND CORPS

MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Dear Groundwork Supporters, 

This month I thought I would share with you a favorite quote of mine that comes from Wendell Berry: 

"It may be that when we no longer know what to do, we have come to our real work and when we no longer know which way to go, we have begun our real journey. The mind that is not baffled is not employed. The impeded stream is the one that sings."

Sometimes things don't go as planned and our best intentions are stymied. But in my experience, if I have enough like-minded people around me, there's almost always a way through. I hope that your gardens this summer are turning out to be places where you can be in community with like-minded people.

Sincerely,

Young Kim  

OPEN POSITIONS

Check out these open positions! Come work with us!

GREEN SPACE ACTION

Congratulations, Marissa!

Milwaukee is a better place because of the tireless efforts and big hearts of our Public Allies, including Groundwork's Marissa Cudworth. Marissa lifts us all up, collaborates like a pro, doesn’t mind the dirt (soil ) and is a joy to be with in hard work and big fun. Congratulations to all Milwaukee Public Allie graduates! It's surely a bittersweet occasion. We wish Marissa the best in whatever path she chooses next!

Volunteer

We’re proud to support our inspiring gardeners and look forward to working together as the season continues. There are a lot of volunteer opportunities in the next month. Keep an eye out for weekly opportunities on our Volunteer Sign-Up page and social media.

Green Team

We’re always so excited to welcome our summer Green Team to Groundwork. Groundwork Milwaukee’s Green Team is a service-learning program for 14 to 19 year-olds, living in Groundwork’s most engaged communities. The program's dual goals are to prepare youth for a lifetime of environmental leadership, as well as, to support garden leaders’ power to steward community within the Milwaukee Grows Garden Network. We got started in June. Here are some highlights from the first week.

Below are pictures with commentary from Green Team members, in their own words. Enjoy!

Water Quality Monitoring by Keenan

We are the Green Team of new fun youths who help the community by planting vegetables, flowers, and helping gardens look better and more presentable.

On June 24, the Green Team completed Water Quality Monitoring on the Milwaukee River. It was a new experience for everyone. We wore waders and tested the water to see if it was clean and safe for humans and wildlife.

Hilltop Community Garden by Angel

At hilltop garden we were good sports and worked through the unpredictable weather. We picked strawberries from the garden. Auntie Lavella, one of the gardeners, gave us ingredients to make mint tea. We had the opportunity to plant different kinds of vegetables and we cut up the potato and planted the stems to regrow. We were able to see all the different projects that are in progress including an underground greenhouse that’s been a work in progress for months now. There were so many different plants and vegetables. We were able to plant squash, tomatoes, and more.

Marcus Mosiah Garvey Jr. Garden by Keenan

At Marcus Mosiah we met Robert, the garden leader, and his family. We fixed up his garden and planted vegetables. He shared homemade lavender lemonade with us. We tried getting water out of the Rainwater Harvesting Structure but the water was coming out too fast. We struggled with water access so the neighbor let us use his hose. This was a big deal because the neighbors haven’t always been interested in the garden being right next to them. I wonder what changed?

Painting Benches by Charles

I had experience painting things like shirts before, but I'd never had experience painting benches. It was fun to get to do it with other people. We were just painting and vibing. There was music playing and talking. I did the people. They had crazy hair and outfits. The benches will be for garden leaders. We will get to paint and design two benches with Peace Park this summer.

GROUND CORPS

Ground Corps Supports the Andre Lee Ellis & Company Community Garden

Ground Corps has been busy all over Milwaukee working on green infrastructure construction and maintenance. One highlight from the past month was a work day at a new garden being started by a long-time Groundwork friend. On June 18th, Groundwork’s Ground Corps supported Andre Lee Ellis’ new project called CAGE (Community Agricultural Growing Experiences). The crew measured out the soon-to-be-constructed labyrinth garden at 1313 West Reservoir Avenue. Andre is an inspiration to many and we are proud to play a role in realizing his vision for this space.

Newsletter, May 2022

Groundwork Supporters! The May newsletter is here. We’ve been outside with our network of inspired gardeners and volunteers growing things, planting trees, planning for a climate safe future, and partying! Keep scrolling to learn more about what we’ve been up to. Watch for opportunities to get involved!

message from the executive director

open positions

green space action

Kilbourn garden

CLIMATE SAFE NEIGHBORHOODS

GREEN TEAM

MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Staked out garden plots at 26th and Clybourn.

Those of you who have lived in Milwaukee for a bit probably remember Marty Stein, the noted businessman, philanthropist, and community leader who passed away in 2008. 19 years ago, I had the fortune to work with him, and I'll never forget one of the pieces of wisdom that he passed onto me: "Young, never make anyone do something that you're not willing to do yourself."

And so, with Marty's admonition echoing in my head, last week I laid out the plots at our garden at 26th and Clybourn. What I thought would be a 90 minute job took me four hours. Each garden plot corner required a wooden stake, and my right forearm was not prepared to hammer 78 of them into the ground. Then there was the twine that had to be stretched between the stakes to mark out each plot, and this office worker body of mine was not ready to bend over as many times as it did. But when I was done, I took a photo of the laid out plots, and it felt good. And I have a new appreciation for how hard our garden leaders work. 

And so to all of the volunteers who make our garden network go, I give you my heartfelt (and backfelt) thanks.

-Young

OPEN POSITIONS

Check out these open positions! Come work with us!

GREEN SPACE ACTION

One Tree Planted

As of the end of May, we have collaborated with numerous gardens, and industrious volunteers to plant 47 of the 50 fruit trees we acquired through a One Tree Planted grant. We are so grateful to the many volunteers and community members that have given their time to this initiative.

Great Groundwork Grill Out

Last week, we held our latest Great Groundwork Get Together - Grill Out Edition! Over 75 gardeners, volunteers, organizational partners, friends and family came together at Kilbourn Garden for a spread of food, prizes, games, community and the natural beauty of the garden in the backdrop. Thank you for coming out to celebrate all that we accomplish together. We couldn’t do it without you.

We couldn’t have orchestrated such a lovely evening without a group of generous local businesses who supported the event! We had plenty of food and drinks thanks to the generosity of Newaukee. We appreciate their support of our mighty but humble organization and the hundreds of volunteers and garden leaders who pour their hearts into our city. Special thanks also to the following businesses and organizations who donated awesome and fun items for our drawing:

• Central Standard Crafthouse & Craft Distillery

• Centro Cafe

• Bliffert Lumber and Hardware

• Fischberger’s Variety

• Pilcrow Coffee

• Bublr Bikes

Volunteer

We’re proud to support our inspiring gardeners and look forward to working together as the season continues. There are a lot of volunteer opportunities in the next month. Keep an eye out for weekly opportunities on our Volunteer Sign-Up page and social media.

KILBOURN GARDEN

BAIRD Volunteer Day

Huge thanks to BAIRD for their day of service cleaning and weeding at Kilbourn Garden! It’s because of support like this that were able to keep the garden looking fresh.

One Bed Left for the 2022 Season!

As of May 31st, there is still one garden bed available at Kilbourn for the 2022 season (#132). If you’re still looking for somewhere to grow, come join us! Reserve the last bed below.

Volunteer

Throughout the growing season we’ll be hosting regular volunteer workdays at Kilbourn on Wednesday evenings from 5-7pm. Stop by and help us keep the space beautiful!

Climate Safe Neighborhoods

Organizing work for Milwaukee Climate Safe Neighborhoods (CSN) continues. We are canvassing neighborhoods, holding information sessions, and gathering insights and feedback from residents. We hosted an information table at the recent COLE (Coalition on Lead Emergency) Block Party at Hephatha Church and had a really good time meeting with residents, lots of kiddos, and partners from other organizations. We also helped support the work of the Milwaukee Climate and Equity Plan at the Milwaukee River Greenway Public Stakeholder Meeting. We’re grateful that the Milwaukee community offers many opportunities to get involved and weigh in on climate and green initiatives.

Energy Burden

In last month’s newsletter, we provided a brief on the issue of energy burden in Milwaukee. Energy burden is the comparison of household income to energy expenses (residential gas and electric). Data shows that Black, Latinx and Hispanic households in Milwaukee, and those who live in formerly redlined areas, are paying the most of their income toward energy bills, compared to other Milwaukee residents. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel followed up with Groundwork’s Keviea Guiden who is advocating around this equity issue.

Heat Mapping Campaign

Jess Haven, outreach and organizing director for Groundwork Milwaukee, got to talk with Wisconsin Public Radio about an urban heat mapping campaign we are partnering on with the Wisconsin DNR, Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, Wisconsin Health Professionals for Climate Action, and several other local organizations. Read about the campaign and why the resulting data will be so important to understanding the impacts of summer heat in Milwaukee so we can work to address it in ways that residents determine.

Heat Mapping Volunteers Needed!

Did we mention a heat mapping campaign? We did! We’re inviting enthusiastic volunteers to join us for a day of people-powered climate action. The project to capture data on ambient air temperature throughout Milwaukee on one of our hottest summer days means that several volunteers are needed to drive throughout the city, along predetermined routes, with air temperature sensors attached to their vehicles. It will be an energetic collective effort and a great way to help residents in areas of the city that are most severely impacted by sweltering heat when those temperatures and humidity are at their worst. We will use this information to identify and call for an equitable response by city leaders and organizations, to ensure the health and safety of our most vulnerable neighbors - especially as our hottest days become even hotter due to climate change. 

What will volunteers do?  Volunteers are needed to drive along predetermined routes in the City of Milwaukee over three separate one-hour periods during a hot day. Volunteers will use a simple data-collection device attached to the vehicle. You can also volunteer as a navigator and help direct drivers’ turns along their route. 

Are there any requirements to volunteer? Drivers will need a valid driver’s license, auto insurance, and access to a vehicle. In addition to the three hours of data collection, volunteers will first be asked to attend a virtual one-hour Volunteer Training Session, complete a short knowledge quiz, and sign a liability waiver. Based on previous campaigns, volunteers will spend a total of about 5 to 6 hours on the project, though the majority of time (~4 hours) will occur on the selected campaign day. 

On what day will the heat mapping campaign occur? That will depend on the weather forecast. Heat mapping is best done on a hot and clear-skied day. Using historical weather patterns, and support from the National Weather Service, we are looking at a July or August date. While weather does change, this selected campaign date will be confirmed about one week prior, as forecasts become more reliable. 

• Because we must wait for the heat—and the fact that summer is such a busy time—we need to assemble an “on-call” roster of volunteers -- which means that we’ll want more people signing up than we need. We will confirm your participation about one week prior to the campaign once we finalize the date. 

• Please note that signing up does not commit you to the project. Rather the process will begin by building out a roster of potential volunteers, and confirmation will occur about one week in advance. 

If you are interested in participating in this opportunity, or would like to learn more, please respond to this Volunteer Interest Form.

Left Turn with Dr. Rene Settle-Robinson

What is 'environmental justice?' Milwaukee practitioner Dr. René Settle-Robinson sat down with Alex and James of Riverwest Radio’s Left Turn production and discussed impacts of climate change and pollution on our most vulnerable neighborhoods. They discuss the political will it will require to address the greatest impacts and prioritize equity.

Green Team

Henry David Thoreau Elementary School

Groundwork team members Elena and Marissa helped Henry David Thoreau Elementary build TWO new garden beds for their inaugural growing season! Students learned how to use power tools and were able to get creative by decorating blocks to border the outside of the garden beds. When the bed was built, the students took a nap inside. As you can tell from the pictures, this was a lot of fun.

Craig Montessori School

In addition to the garden build at Thoreau, Elena and Marissa provided trainings on soil and compost at Craig Montessori. We’re grateful for the opportunity to share time with all these budding young minds. See you again, soon!

Newsletter, April 2022

Hey Groundwork Supporters! Here’s the April newsletter! It hasn’t felt quite like spring yet, but we know the growing season is just around the corner. We’ve been busy prepping and building new gardens, cleaning waterways, planting trees and connecting with residents. Keep reading to learn more! 

message from the executive director

open positions

green space action

Kilbourn garden

CLIMATE SAFE NEIGHBORHOODS

GREEN TEAM

ground corps

MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Today is Earth Day and with all of the disturbing stories in the news lately, I've been thinking of "The Real Work," a poem by Wendell Berry:

It may be that when we no longer know what to do

we have come to our real work,

and that when we no longer know which way to go

we have come to our real journey.

The mind that is not baffled is not employed.

The impeded stream is the one that sings.

The world is baffling but we have to keep going. One carrot won't change the world but an empty vacant lot that's turned into a garden full of carrots, tomatoes, peppers, and collards, in a small way, will. When you multiply that positivity by the 80+ gardens in our garden network and consider all of the networking, social bonding, improved nutrition, low-intensity exercise, and healing that happens when people grow things together – then you have a difference maker for Milwaukee. 

It's easy to feel overwhelmed when we think of ourselves as solitary individuals, but when I remember to put things into the context of a community, I start to feel better. It's the small things we all can do – like a kind word to the cashier at your grocery store, checking in on an elderly neighbor, or planting heirloom tomatoes – that will make a difference. Taken together our actions will move the needle for Milwaukee and our planet. 

Sincerely,

Young

OPEN POSITIONS

Check out these open positions! Come work with us!

GREEN SPACE ACTION

Earth Day

Groundwork Milwaukee participated in an Earth Day green resource fair at the Urban Ecology Center at Washington Park with Nearby Nature. There were over 100 volunteers participating in a clean-up at Washington Park and several different partner organizations. The weather was beautiful! This was part of a citywide effort organized by Milwaukee Riverkeeper Spring Clean-Up. Thousands of volunteers participated at over 80 sites throughout the Milwaukee River Basin. Mayor Cavalier Johnson and Milwaukee County Chairwoman Marcelia Nicholson both were in attendance as well. On Earth Day we also cleaned up our adopt-a-river site at Havenwoods State Forest and kicked off the Discovery World Garden.

Southside Spring Clean-Up

In April, we held our first spring clean-up event on the southside, in partnership with Story Garden and Madison Pocket Park. Ten volunteers showed up at Story Garden. They collected debris, retired old hoses, clipped bushes, and collected branches. We were also able to plant seeds in seven planter benches and install two welcome signs, which were painted by Groundwork volunteers! Garden Leader, Brenda Rios, was very excited to have one of her students show up to help. He learned to operate a drill and connected the garden sign to its post. Other volunteers then helped install it in the ground. At Madison Pocket Park, we had support from five volunteers. Together with Groundwork staff and Garden Leader Sarah Luther we weeded and filled garden beds with soil. The weeds were no match for our teamwork! The garden is now ready for the upcoming season.Both of these events were powered by people who canvassed, and brought materials, ideas, and a willingness to work.

Tree Planting at Hepatha Community Garden

We’re very excited to have held our first tree planting of the season at Hepatha Community Garden. Thanks to funding from One Tree Planted, we were able to plant five trees: one sweet cherry pie, two red haven peach trees, one golden delicious apple tree, and one haralred apple tree. Thanks to all the community leaders and volunteers that came out to help!

Volunteer

We’re proud to support our inspiring gardeners and look forward to working together as the season continues. There are a lot of volunteer opportunities in the next month. Keep an eye out for weekly opportunities on our Volunteer Sign-Up page and social media.

KILBOURN GARDEN

Gardening has been kicked off at Kilbourn. We’ve already rebuilt 33 beds and have begun filling them with soil. Keep your eyes peeled for the front bed to be painted with the garden’s name. We’ll finally have a sign!

If you’re looking for a growing space for this season, registration for Kilbourn is open and there are still beds available. Reserve your bed below!

Great Groundwork Grill Out

Volunteer

Throughout the growing season we’ll be hosting regular volunteer workdays at Kilbourn on Wednesday evenings from 5-7pm. Stop by and help us keep the space beautiful!

Climate Safe Neighborhoods

We’re out here! On Saturday, April 23, we hit the streets to start introducing Climate Safe Neighborhoods to Milwaukee residents. We love meeting neighbors and it’s very important to hear about their health, safety and climate related experiences and concerns. We’ll be out regularly to learn more about the issues and put our minds and energy together to build a grassroots movement for local change.

Energy Burden

Energy burden is the comparison of income to energy expenses per household. Data shows that Black, Latinx and Hispanic households in MIlwaukee, and those who live in formerly redlined areas, are paying the most of their income toward these bills, and experiencing shut-offs and credit impacts as a result. This is an equity issue we are highlighting with our grassroots Climate Safe Neighborhoods initiative. To learn more, contact keviea@groundworkmke.org. Together, we can make change happen! 

Check out the press event video here to learn more, and head to this link to calculate your household energy burden. 

Heat Watch Mapping Campaign this Summer

Groundwork Milwaukee is partnering with the Wisconsin DNR, Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, and several other local organizations in an urban heat mapping project this summer. Thanks to the application submitted by the DNR forestry division, Milwaukee was chosen along with 13 other cities across the country to receive heat sensor equipment, logistical support, and data analysis by NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and CAPA Strategies in 2022 for a summer day of people-powered mapping action. This means we’ll be recruiting volunteers to drive planned routes with sensors on their vehicles a few times during one of the hottest projected days of this summer (probably in July, TBD - stay tuned!). This data can be used to better understand the disproportionately high temps in some residential areas, and around schools and other populated areas in the city. With this information, city leaders and organizations can take measures to ensure safety for all Milwaukeeans on hot days, especially as we experience more extreme weather conditions due to climate change. More info to come. We hope you’ll get involved!

GREEN TEAM

Starting in May, Groundwork will be providing Green Team youth programming with three partner organizations, Thoreau Elementary School, Craig Montessori School and with SPLASH, Belonging Place at Solomon Community Temple. We can’t wait to get started!

GROUND CORPS

April marked the start of Ground Corps programming and their calendar was packed. They began their maintenance of city bioswales while completing an ADA accessible stage and rain harvesting structure at the MacCannon Brown Community Garden. They also built new garden beds, complete with soil, for the Community Agriculture Growing Experience (CAGE) Garden, Andre Lee Ellis’ new project. The garden was featured in this story on TMJ4.

Newsletter, March 2022

Groundwork Supporters! The newsletter is back! It’s been a minute, but we weren’t hibernating. We were working behind the scenes to prepare ourselves for the 2022 season. We’ve got open positions. We’ve got new Ground Corps members. We’ve got spring clean-ups planned. Kilbourn registration is open. Read all about it below!

message from the executive director

open positions

Great groundwork get together

garden network

Kilbourn garden

CLIMATE SAFE NEIGHBORHOODS

ground corps

MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

“It is spring again. The earth is like a child that knows poems by heart.”

-Rainer Maria Rilke-

Spring is here! I’m sure because I spotted a robin last week. But I've lived in Milwaukee long enough to know that sometimes snow happens in April. So, I’m trying not to get too excited. I've lived all over the United States (Alabama, Louisiana, Hawaii, Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio, California, Texas, and Washington) and I tell you: No place celebrates spring and summer like Milwaukee does. Groundwork is here to help you celebrate. So, get ready Milwaukee, we've got some cool stuff planned.

Sincerely,

Young

OPEN POSITIONS

Check out these open positions! Come work with us!

The Great Groundwork Get Together

On March 9th, Indeed Brewing Company graciously hosted us for an evening of family, friends, and fun, aka The Great Groundwork Get Together. Indeed donated all proceeds from the day to Groundwork Milwaukee’s work in the community. DJ Bohdan generously contributed awesome music, we held a quirky little raffle, and the trivia contest was a hit. It was great to meet and spend time with Groundwork Milwaukee supporters, volunteers, garden leaders, board members, and thirsty bystanders. We enjoyed introducing all these folks to one another! The greatest successes of the event were the connections formed and fun memories made. Thanks to everyone who made it out! We hope to do it again.

GARDEN NETWORK

Seedlings

Seedlings under a grow light in the Groundwork Milwaukee office.

Seedlings have been started in our new grow tower. Thank you to the generous volunteers who helped plant the seeds! Collards, peppers, tomatoes, and more have started their great journey to find homes in the Milwaukee Grows Garden Network this spring and summer.

One Tree Planted

Photo by Shuai Want via Unsplash.

This year, with funding from One Tree Planted, we will be planting 60 fruit trees across the city in 13 different sites. We will bask in the glory of fresh local fruit! Our first planting day is April 30th @ Hepatha Community Garden. Come volunteer to dig some big holes with us.

Spring Clean-Ups

As the growing season begins, we’ll be traveling garden to garden picking up trash, repairing beds, and setting these greenspaces up for spring success! We’re looking for volunteer support on the following clean-up days. Come join us!

Volunteer

We’re proud to support our inspiring gardeners and look forward to working together as the season continues. There are a lot of volunteer opportunities in the next month. Keep an eye out for weekly opportunities on our Volunteer Sign-Up page and social media.

KILBOURN GARDEN

Kilbourn in full bloom.

Registration for Kilbourn Garden is open for the 2022 season! There are still plenty of available beds. Come garden with us! Reserve your bed below.

Volunteer

Throughout the growing season we’ll be hosting regular volunteer workdays at Kilbourn on Wednesday evenings from 5-7pm. Stop by and help us keep the space beautiful!

Climate Safe Neighborhoods

A map of Lindsay Heights showing historical waterbodies, closed depressions, and a 100yr storm flood model. A key component of Climate Safe Neighborhoods is resident engagement using maps. This example shows areas that are vulnerable to flooding. We’ll use maps like this to start conversations around resource distribution and mitigation strategies.

Our Milwaukee Climate Safe Neighborhoods initiative is taking shape, as we build the foundation for activating residents in a movement to understand climate impacts at the neighborhood level; examine the disparities of those impacts affecting Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities significantly more than predominantly white neighborhoods; and to call for relevant local change for the health and wellbeing of Milwaukee residents.

We are partnering in upcoming work including a grassroots urban heat mapping project, a neighborhood air monitoring program, a report on flood risk and health impacts, and more. Please stay tuned to support resident-led actions in the coming months, and contact Jess if you would like to learn more about Climate Safe Neighborhoods (jess@groundworkmke.org).

GROUND CORPS

Darryl (left) and Devin (right) prepare an ADA accessible permeable pathway as part of the Healing Spaces Initiative in 2021.

This month we hired four members of our 2022 Ground Corps Crew. We’re proud that three of the four members are returning members from previous years. They’re already out in the field with Nick making things happen. From everyone at Groundwork, welcome (back) to the team, Darryl, Devin, Jaylen and Nate!

Newsletter, October 2021

How is it possible that October is already ending?! I guess time flies when you’re working hard. Last month we continued work on the Healing Spaces Initiative, prepared gardens for winter, and harvested more than 1,000 lbs. of fresh produce. We were also emboldened by the good energy that our neighbors brought to our first series of Garden Markets. We’re definitely doing more of those! Last but not least, we welcomed a new Executive Director to our team. Welcome, Young! Read more about what we’ve been up to below.

message from the executive director

health hubs

garden network

Kilbourn garden

maglio farm

shared harvest

urban waters

Green Futures

ground corps

MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Greetings, Groundwork Milwaukee supporters! Today marks my sixth week as the new Executive Director here at Groundwork Milwaukee. The priority for nonprofit Executive Directors is fundraising, which is simply convincing people to give money to their agency or cause. We're told to develop something called an "elevator speech" in case we find ourselves in an elevator with Bill Gates or Elon Musk and have 15 seconds to request a donation. 

My first week on the job, I was having a hard time coming up with an elevator speech for Groundwork Milwaukee, but then I remembered that old BASF commercial from the '80s and '90s that went, "We don't make the products you buy, we make them better." (Those of you too young to know the BASF ads - you can see them on YouTube.) 

Similarly, Groundwork doesn't actually run the 80+ urban gardens in the Milwaukee Grows network - we leave that up to the residents as they meet their neighborhood's unique needs with their talents and leadership styles ... but I'd like to think we do make them better. We help garden leaders navigate the paperwork that comes with growing on city-owned vacant lots. We help with mini-grants, insurance, water access, training, and family-friendly programming. In doing so, we're helping people develop friendships and relationships that make our city less of a city. All of us are social beings looking for connection, and I can't think of a better place to get to know someone than in a community garden, sharing seeds and exchanging recipes. Thank you for your interest in what we do!

Wishing for peace and health for you and your loved ones,

Young Kim

HEALTH HUBS

Garden Markets

In October, as part of our Fall 2021 Health Hubs programming, Groundwork Milwaukee ran a series of three garden markets in which free produce and other nonperishable food items were available to the community. Two garden markets took place at our Health Hub Gardens, Peace Place and Scooters Garden of Hope, while the third took place at the St. Francis of Assisi Church. During the garden markets, visitors could also enjoy a preservation workshop, cooking demonstrations, cider pressing, and art activities for the kids. In total, over 150 people attended our garden markets across the three dates. Thank you to all of the attendees and partners who made the garden markets possible! 

Scooters Garden Market

St. Francis Assisi Garden Market

Want to participate in Health Hub programming?

If you live near one of our Community Garden Health Hubs and would like to participate in healthy outdoor programming, fill out this form to let us know what types of activities you’d like to see in the gardens. We would love to see you there!

GARDEN NETWORK

Historic Walnut Hill

The Groundwork Milwaukee team supported the Historic Walnut Hill Community Garden at 3118 W. Brown Street to prepare their garden for winter. Together with gardeners, we collected debris and trash, supported harvesting greens and peppers, and winterized garden beds. Shout out to Angela Pruitt, the garden leader of Historic Walnut Hill Community Garden, for dedicating her time and energy to caring for this valuable community space!

Bumblebee Haven

Bumblebee Haven Community Garden held their end of year social gathering and invited Groundwork staff, Elena and Samson to join! We’ll be publishing a Community Spotlight on this amazing garden soon. Check it out to learn more about what Bumblebee Haven gardeners are doing to inspire their neighbors to take action around vacant lots in their neighborhood. 

Office Hours

Office Hours! Huge shout out to the volunteers who have assisted in office hours this fall! We truly cannot do the work in the field without these behind the scenes activities. If you’re new to Groundwork Milwaukee, but interested in getting involved, this is a great weekly opportunity to familiarize yourself with staff and to support with fun painting, organizing and cleaning projects! A big thank you to Marquette students, Maya and Mac, who have been consistent supporters of these projects. Thanks, also, to the group of Marquette students who supported us during their fall break. Check out our new and improved annex space, all ready for winter indoor projects like bench construction, little library building and of course, painting! We couldn’t have done this without our volunteers.

Volunteer

We’re proud to support our inspiring gardeners and look forward to working together as the season continues. There are a lot of volunteer opportunities in the next month. Keep an eye out for weekly opportunities on our Volunteer Sign-Up page and social media.

KILBOURN GARDEN

Activities at Kilbourn Community Garden are wrapping up for the season. The remainder of the year will be focused on infrastructure repair in preparation for the 2022 gardening season. To keep up to date on news at Kilbourn for 2022, please periodically visit the Kilbourn Garden page on our website.

Volunteer

There will be end of season volunteer days at Kilbourn. They should be set soon. Circle back to us if you’re interested in helping prepare the garden for the off-season.

Maglio Farm

September had another huge harvest at the Maglio Farm. More than 1,100 lbs. of fresh produce was harvested and donated to local food pantries. Now, we’re gearing up for winter at the farm! The plastic endwalls have been reinstalled sealing the inside of the hoop houses creating their own little micro climates.  The hoop houses can get 20-30 degrees warmer than the outside air when the sun is out. It’s always summer at the Maglio Farm.  

Volunteer

If you’re interested in supporting the Maglio Farm, follow the link below to see available work opportunities. We’re planning to grow all winter long, but we’ll need your help. This work depends heavily on volunteers. Thank you for dedicating your time and energy toward healthy eating and food sovereignty in Milwaukee!

shared harvest

Fruit Gleaning

Thanks to all the volunteers who supported this year’s Shared Harvest fruit picking outings. With your help, we rescued 1,144 lbs. of local fruit! There are big plans in store for gleaning next season. Stay tuned over the winter to learn more and get involved!

Register a Fruit Tree

Did you know we’ll harvest your fruit as well as your veggies! Register a fruit tree with us today and we’ll organize a crew of volunteers to come save those cherries, apples and pears from going to waste. We’ll rescue your fruit and bring it to a local food pantry. Register your tree at the link below.

Urban Waters

Water School

Over the past month, some of Groundwork’s programs staff have participated in Milwaukee Water Commons’ Water School. Water School provides local organizations opportunities to experience Milwaukee’s waterways through recreation (boat rides, art walks, etc.) and then share their experiences in the form of projects, events or collaborative projects. Our team attended an art walk at one of the largest green spaces in the Milwaukee Grows Garden Network, KRIC Peoples Park, and took a tour of the Community Sailing Center. Thank you Milwaukee Water Commons for providing these valuable water-centric experiences!

GREEN FUTURES

New Horizons

Groundwork Milwaukee’s partnership with the New Horizons School in Shorewood is in full swing for the fall! In October, the New Horizons students assisted with work and learned about composting and seed saving at the Hilltop Community Garden. In addition, they learned about the back-end work to achieve what we do in the field by assisting us with various tasks at our office such as putting together little libraries and signs as well as organizing equipment and tools.

Lloyd Barbee Montessori

Through the Big Green grant, many schools are investing in outdoor learning experiences to foster students’ wellbeing, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lloyd Barbee Montessori called on us to support their school’s garden. We worked with them to build four raised beds. Unique stamped tiles were added to the beds giving the garden a unique sense of place. There were plenty of weeds, but we took care of them with help from the staff and students. All activities involved student participation. The students were particularly interested in using the drill and learning techniques to pull out stubborn weeds! 

GROUND CORPS

This month, Ground Corps has kept up with bioswale maintenance along Sherman Boulevard and continued progress on the Healing Spaces Initiative. Pathways for most of the Healing Spaces have already been excavated with gravel installed. We’re near completion at Tranquility on the Beerline Trail near Townsend and Holton. All Peoples Community Garden is also nearing completion. Along with all of this work, we set aside time to explore careers in green infrastructure. Members of our team attended the One Water Career Fair hosted by Employ Milwaukee. At the fair, Ground Corps members explored their options for continuing to a career in green jobs once the Groundwork season has ended.

Newsletter, September 2021

Another eventful month for Groundwork Milwaukee. We harvested 500lbs of fruit, taught high school students how to monitor water quality and completed major construction at multiple sites for the Healing Spaces Initiative, and that’s not all. We’re moving towards the off-season and have been doing a lot of harvesting and winterizing with our gardeners. Thanks to all of our dedicated volunteers who make our work possible! Read more about what we’ve been up to below. Click the tiles below for program-specific updates or just scroll down to read it all.

health hubs

garden network

Kilbourn garden

maglio farm

shared harvest

urban waters

Green Futures

ground corps

HEALTH HUBS

Upcoming Health Hub Workshops

If you’re interested in participating in Health Hub programming, we’d love to see you in the gardens! Check-out the list below for upcoming Health Hub events. We’re excited to announce we’ll be hosting garden markets and preservation workshops running through October. Fresh produce provided by Groundwork and the Riverwest Food Pantry’s collaboration at the Maglio Farm.

Garden Market Volunteers

We’re looking for volunteers to help promote, set up and work our upcoming Free Garden Markets. If you’re interested in supporting these events click the button to sign-up for a volunteer role. Thank you!

Want to participate in Health Hub programming?

If you live near one of our Community Garden Health Hubs and would like to participate in healthy outdoor programming, fill out this form to let us know what types of activities you’d like to see in the gardens. We would love to see you there!

GARDEN NETWORK

In the past month, we made a lot of improvements to the garden network. Among other efforts, we oversaw a work day with Kappa Delta Chi Sorority at Garden of Delight, conducted maintenance at KRIC People’s Park with Sixteenth Street Health Clinic, and serious updates at the Sherman Park Young Farmers Garden in collaboration with Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee.

Garden of Delight

Groundwork Milwaukee worked with seven volunteers from Kappa Delta Chi Sorority, Inc. chapter in Milwaukee for a workday at Gardens of Delight on 64th Street. The volunteers worked on weeding and winterizing the entire garden to prepare for great soil health for the 2022 season. Two new beds were also constructed. Thank you to all of our great volunteers!

KRIC People’s Park

Groundwork Milwaukee supported the weeding and wood chip spreading at the KRIC People’s Park on South 14th Street and West Harrison Avenue. Welcome to new garden leader, Yesi P. from the Sixteenth Street Health Clinic. Welcome to the Milwaukee Grows Garden Network, Yesi!

Sherman Park Young Farmers Garden

Over the course of three September workdays, Michael Waite of Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee worked with volunteers to remove 12 defunct beds and prepare the space for the construction of new beds next season. Just this past Wednesday, the Black Store Managers Council of Lowes’ Region #4 supported a full workday at Sherman Park along with the giveaway of home winterizing safety supplies. With their help, we were able to winterize 12 beds and till and lay wood chips down on the walkway between them.

Volunteer

We’re proud to support our inspiring gardeners and look forward to working together as the season continues. There are a lot of volunteer opportunities in the next month. Keep an eye out for weekly opportunities on our Volunteer Sign-Up page and social media.

KILBOURN GARDEN

We have been working every week to slowly shut down Kilbourn Garden for the year. We had an amazing year at the garden with 100% of available beds being rented. Volunteers have had the opportunity to work on compost management, bed repairs, and winterizing garden beds. Thank you to all of our gardeners and volunteers that make Kilbourn Garden possible every year!  

Volunteer

There will be end of season volunteer days at Kilbourn. They should be set soon. Circle back to us if you’re interested in helping prepare the garden for the off-season.

Maglio Farm

In August, we harvested 2,668 pounds of produce! August marked the beginning of the end for our main summer harvest. We’ve started rolling down the hoop house plastic sides and putting up end walls in preparation for cold weather. We’ll be growing all winter long so watch for opportunities to volunteer!

Volunteer

If you’re interested in supporting the Maglio Farm, follow the link below to see available work opportunities. We’re planning to grow all winter long, but we’ll need your help. This work depends heavily on volunteers. Thank you for dedicating your time and energy toward healthy eating and food sovereignty in Milwaukee!

shared harvest

Garden gleaning is over for the season. Fresh Food Connect and donation drop-off locations have ended for 2021. We're proud to report that with help from our dedicated gardeners and volunteers, we were able to rescue nearly 500lbs of fresh produce and donate it to four different Milwaukee food pantries. Thank you to all who contributed to a successful Shared Harvest season!

A special thanks to St. Marcus for dedicating a section of their garden to donate to Shared Harvest all summer long.  You can read more about their space in our community spotlight here.

Fruit Gleaning

Our volunteer fruit picking operation is going strong. We’ll be out picking apples until the first frost (nighttime temperatures dipping below 32 degrees). We’ve harvested over 550lbs of fruit so far this season! You can sign up for fruit gleaning work days here.

Register a Fruit Tree

Did you know we’ll harvest your fruit as well as your veggies! Register a fruit tree with us today and we’ll organize a crew of volunteers to come save those cherries, apples and pears from going to waste. We’ll rescue your fruit and bring it to a local food pantry. Register your tree at the link below.

Urban Waters

New Horizon Students helped us conduct water quality monitoring sessions on the Milwaukee River. A fun and educational time on a beautiful day!

GREEN FUTURES

New Horizons

This Fall, Groundwork Milwaukee is continuing its partnership with the students and faculty of New Horizons Charter School in Shorewood. The students will be learning about and assisting with topics such as winterizing garden beds, the importance of soil health in gardening, along with testing and improving water quality. We’ve got a lot of good memories with the team at New Horizons and look forward to making more!

GROUND CORPS

Volunteer day at Peace Park on MLK.

Volunteer day at Peace Park on MLK.

Volunteer day at Peace Park on MLK.

Volunteer day at Peace Park on MLK.

Pathway excavation at sculpture garden on Richards and Locust.

Pathway excavation at Beerline Trail on Townsend and Holton.

Making progress at the MacCannon Brown Homeless Sanctuary.

Making progress at the MacCannon Brown Homeless Sanctuary.

This month as volunteer days for Healing Space Initiative (HSI) sites begin to wrap up, the Ground Corps has continued construction for HSI sites, beginning pathway and patio excavation at Beerline Trail, Harambee Tot Lot, Richards Sculpture Garden, and Peace Park. Our team, along with Harambee community members and  Eras Senior Network, were able to plant more than 100 perennials and six fruit trees between three volunteer days at Peace Park, Adams Park and the playground on 1st and Wright. We were also able to begin construction for the much anticipated MacCannon Brown Homeless Sanctuary. Plans for the sanctuary, designed by Nagel Architects, includes a rainwater catchment structure capable of catching 1000 gallons of fallen rainwater.

Newsletter, August 2021

Health Hubs! Healing Spaces! Green Team! Young Farmers! All of our programming is in full swing, and it’s all here for you to explore. Watch for opportunities to get involved. Click the tiles below for program-specific updates or just scroll down to read everything.

health hubs

garden network

Kilbourn garden

maglio farm

shared harvest

urban waters

YOUNG FARMERS

GREEN TEAM

ground corps

HEALTH HUBS

This past month, our Community Garden Health Hubs hosted yoga and planting workshops galore. We led ten classes in total across our six Health Hub sites on topics related to garden pests, soil health, and composting systems. We’re very excited that we’ve secured funding to continue season extension and indoor growing workshops from now until January. Watch for upcoming events on social media and on the Health Hubs page of our website.

Upcoming Health Hub Workshops

If you’re interested in participating in Health Hub programming, we’d love to see you in the gardens! Check-out the list below for upcoming Health Hub events.

Want to participate in Health Hub programming?

If you live near one of our Community Garden Health Hubs and would like to participate in healthy outdoor programming, fill out this form to let us know what types of activities you’d like to see in the gardens. We would love to see you there!

GARDEN NETWORK

We’re proud to support our inspiring gardeners and look forward to working together as the season continues. There are a lot of volunteer opportunities in the next month. Keep an eye out for weekly opporutnities on our Volunteer Sign-Up page and social media.

Compost Crusader Discount

We are excited about a new collaboration with Compost Crusaders! Compost Crusaders is offering discounted compost to gardens or partners affiliated with Groundwork Milwaukee. Compost will be discounted from $35 per yard to $30 per yard for orders of 3 yards or more.

Garden Network Volunteer Opportunities

We’ll be hosting volunteer work days at the below times on a weekly basis. View our sign-up page for specific times and locations.

KILBOURN GARDEN

On August 12th, we organized a day of support with approximately 20 incoming first year medical students at the Medical College of Wisconsin. They assisted us with various tasks at Kilbourn Garden including making new number labels for beds, sealing garden signs, mowing, compost management, and debris removal. For the Medical College of Wisconsin, the goal of this service program is to send their students into the community with an upperclassman mentor to learn about the city and get to know populations they will soon be serving as physicians.

Volunteer

Each Thursday at Kilbourn, we host a volunteer workday to keep the garden looking fresh throughout the season. Thanks to all the volunteers who have helped us to keep the space tidy so far this season. If you’d like to come help out, follow the link below and sign-up for a ‘Weekly Kilbourn Workday’ time slot.

Maglio Farm

The height of harvest season is upon us! We are surrounded by huge squash and bright red tomatoes. In July we harvested more than 2,000 pounds of fresh produce! All of it was donated to local food pantries. Thank you to all of our hardworking and dedicated volunteers. We truly could not do this without you!

Volunteer

If you’re interested in supporting the Maglio Farm, follow the link below to see available work opportunities. This work depends heavily on volunteers. Thank you for dedicating your time and energy toward healthy eating and food sovereignty in Milwaukee!

shared harvest

Fruit Gleaning

Season’s gleanings, everybody! Fruit gleaning season is upon us. We’ll be gleaning on Tuesdays and Fridays (5:30pm-7:30pm), August through September. Fruit is donated locally and volunteers are encouraged to bring as much home as they’d like. Sign up at the link below. Select the ‘Fruit Picking (Gleaning)’ slots and we’ll reach out to coordinate the rest.

Register a Fruit Tree

Did you know we’ll harvest your fruit as well as your veggies! Register a fruit tree with us today and we’ll organize a crew of volunteers to come save those cherries, apples and pears from going to waste. We’ll rescue your fruit and bring it to a local food pantry. Register your tree at the link below.

Fresh Food Connect

Does your home garden have too many zucchinis? Overgrown collards? An abundance of kale?! We can help you donate it! If you’re a backyard gardener and would like to donate your extra garden produce to local food pantries, sign-up for Fresh Food Connect and our volunteer couriers will come pick-up your donation once a week. To sign-up, download the Fresh Food Connect app from the app store and create an account.

Urban Waters

Week 6 of Green Team was designated WATER WEEK! We did a week's worth of water-based curriculum and activities. This included rainwater harvesting system education, water quality testing, trash pickup along Lincoln Creek, and a water challenge (drinking enough water throughout the week). The Green Team tested water quality along the Milwaukee River at Estabrook Park. They tested for temperature, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, and identified different classes of macroinvertebrates. At Lincoln Creek, a tributary of the Milwaukee River, the Green Team collected litter. They collected roughly 1,400 pieces of trash! The crew also learned about the importance of green infrastructure like rain barrels and rainwater harvesting systems and discussed other ways that our garden network leaders obtain water for their spaces (fire hydrant permits and nearby houses with outdoor spigots). The week finished with a tour of the MMSD wastewater treatment plant on Jones Island. It was stinky, but the team perked up a bit when they learned they could start at $35/hour with a high school diploma. 

YOUNG FARMERS

Sherman Park

The end of July marked the end of Young Farmers for the two groups of Boys & Girls Clubs members growing at Sherman Park: Mary Ryan Boys & Girls Club and Milwaukee Academy of Sciences Boys & Girls Clubs. Over the six week training, youth learned about planting, caring for their plants, and, of course, how to safely harvest, wash and cook what they grew. The Young Farmers tasted all kinds of new fresh flavors. Some of their favorites were sour cherries, chocolate mint, kale chips, and mulberries. They really enjoyed cooking together!

Cherry Street Community Garden

Young Farmers at the Cherry Street Community Garden learned to test soil for nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus and pH level. They also learned to use special tools to remove the pits from and caramelize cherries. Obviously, when they were done, they tested out the final product on some ice cream!

Thurston Woods Community Garden

The Thurston Woods Young Farmers have been hard at work taking care of their beans, squash and pepper plants. They planted 30+ flower plants in five of their raised beds. They also learned to prime the inside of the raised beds by carefully removing any soil and applying primer with a sponge brush. With each painter at their station, they completed the priming of three beds in the record time of 10 minutes!

GREEN TEAM

Green Team has officially ended for the 2021 season. We had a great time with our crew and wish them all the best as they head back to school. Some highlights from the summer were: hiking through Havenwoods Forest and learning about the importance of physical activity for our mental and long term health; learning about resume and cover letter writing from Groundwork Milwaukee’s Deputy Director of Programming and Operations, Damien DeBuhr; learning about remote sensing and how it can be a tool to address environmental injustice from NASA scientists with help from Groundwork Milwaukee’s Deputy Director of GIS, Lawrence Hoffman; meeting artist, Akira Yashema Mabon, who taught the crew how art can be a catalyst for social change; and, on the final day, they all played basketball and went to the beach. To hear about the Green Team’s experience this summer directly from the crew, check out the Green Team Blog 2021.

GROUND CORPS

Ground Corps completed monthly maintenance at the bioswales early in the first week of the month and ended that week with nearly all of our Ground Corps receiving limited CPR AED training. The team is now certified for one year. This month we were able to begin construction on three Healing Spaces Initiative sites (All Peoples Church, Solomon Church and Harambee Tot Lot on 1st and Keefe) digging pathways and erecting structures for shade sails. We also painted little libraries scheduled to be delivered to other Healing Space Initiative locations and planted 30+ perennials with the help of members of the NDIC and Eras Senior Network volunteers.

Newsletter, July 2021

June was another busy month for the Groundwork Milwaukee crew. We provided direct support through infrastructure improvement, programming and volunteer workdays to more than 14 of our garden locations and so much more. Thank you to all the supportive community members and volunteers that have made invaluable contributions! Scroll down to learn more. Watch for opportunities to get involved! Click the tiles below for program-specific updates or just scroll down to read it all.

health hubs

garden network

Kilbourn garden

maglio farm

shared harvest

urban waters

ground corps

HEALTH HUBS

Groundwork’s Health Hub programming is in full swing. We’ve been providing educational opportunities at Health Hub gardens. Our Food Systems Specialist, Samson has been holding training events at the gardens. Below are a few great photos from these events as well as a list of upcoming gardening and yoga workshops being held at Health Hub gardens in the near future.

Upcoming Health Hub Workshops

If you’re interested in participating in Health Hub programming, we’d love to see you in the gardens! Check-out the list below for upcoming Health Hub events.

Want to participate in Health Hub programming?

If you live near one of our Community Garden Health Hubs and would like to participate in healthy outdoor programming, fill out this form to let us know what types of activities you’d like to see in the gardens. We would love to see you there!

GARDEN NETWORK

Last month Groundwork provided direct support through volunteer workdays or original programming to 14 gardens in the Garden Network, including: Peace Park, Uptown Crossing, Kilbourn, Discovery World, Maskani Gardens, Beauty from the Root Healing Garden, Thurston Woods, We Got This, Cherry Street Garden and Scooters Garden of Hope. We’re proud to support our inspiring gardeners and look forward to working together as the season continues. Here are a few of the highlights from last month.

Planting at Maskani Apartment Gardens

With help from residents we held a community event for the Maskani Apartment Gardens. We turned over the soil in garden beds, added new soil and planted various plants such as tomatoes, peppers, sunflowers, and squash. Over a dozen residents and their families came out to enjoy the nice weather and plant with us!

Vel R. Phillips Block Beautification

On June 5th, we partnered with Safe and Sound and local residents of the 3800 block of Vel R. Phillips Avenue to orchestrate a neighborhood-wide clean up and beautification. Groundwork Milwaukee volunteers worked with residents of the block to cut their grass, remove debris and trash and plant beautiful flowers along all of the homes.

Compost Crusader Discount

We are excited about a new collaboration with Compost Crusaders! Compost Crusaders is offering discounted compost to gardens or partners affiliated with Groundwork Milwaukee. Compost will be discounted from $35 per yard to $30 per yard for orders of 3 yards or more.

Garden Network Volunteer Opportunities

We’ll be hosting volunteer work days at the below times on a weekly basis. View our sign-up page for specific times and locations.

KILBOURN GARDEN

Each Thursday at Kilbourn, we host a volunteer workday to keep the garden looking fresh throughout the season. Thanks to all the volunteers who have helped us to keep the space tidy so far this season. If you’d like to come help out, follow the link below and sign-up for a ‘Weekly Kilbourn Workday’ time slot.

Maglio Farm

We’re entering a full harvest season! We’ve been picking peas & beans for a few weeks now, and are just entering harvests of zucchini, cucumber, and tomatoes!

As always, our “harvest help” shift is a great way to come out to the farm if your time is short.

shared harvest

We’re six weeks into our food rescue program Shared Harvest. Combining gleaned produce (produce rescued from backyard gardens) with harvest supplemented from our farm, that’s 180 lbs of produce donated to local food pantries together.

Fresh Food Connect

Does your home garden have too many zucchinis? Overgrown collards? An abundance of kale! We can help you donate it! If you’re a backyard gardener and would like to donate your extra garden produce to local food pantries, sign-up for Fresh Food Connect and our volunteer couriers will come pick-up your donation once a week. To sign-up, download the Fresh Food Connect app from the app store and create an account.

Register a Fruit Tree

Did you know we’ll harvest your fruit as well as your veggies! Register a fruit tree with us today and we’ll organize a crew of volunteers to come save those cherries, apples and pears from going to waste. We’ll rescue your fruit and bring it to a local food pantry. Register your tree at the link below.

Urban Waters

In June, we planted nearly 300 plants from MMSD’s annual plant sale! We also installed two pollinator garden beds at Kilbourn Garden and another perennial garden was planted at Village Roots in Bay View.

Milwaukee River Water Monitoring in Estabrook Park

This year, Groundwork Milwaukee is partnering with Milwaukee Riverkeeper to monitor the quality of our waterways. We monitored our section, near Estabrook Park, with the help of Rebecca from Milwaukee Riverkeeper in May. These were our first samples of the season.

Seeking Youth Water Monitors

We are looking for a youth group that may be interested in monitoring with us the last week of August. Reach out to jacelia@groundworkmke.org for more information!

GROUND CORPS

This month The Ground Corps began working on the first of 10 Healing Spaces to be constructed throughout the city from now through September. On Saturday, July 10th, with the help from some phenomenal volunteers we began to revitalize a portion of the Beerline Trail near Holton and Townsend. A Pergola was constructed, 40 perennials were planted, and the frames for what will be two garden bed benches were built. We expect to begin work on another healing space along the Beerline Trail next week. During this month we have also started a farmstand and rainwater catchment structure at Scooters garden and constructed five additional garden beds on site, while continuing to wrap up construction on the outdoor kitchen at We Got This on 9th and Ring. This week the outdoor triple burner stove for the kitchen arrived for pick up and we managed to find a free sink perfect for the kitchen donated to us by  one of our Riverwest neighbors.

Ground Corps constructs a pergola on the Beerline Trail.

Ground Corps building a farm stand and rain catchment structure at Scooters Garden of Hope.

Progress being made at the outdoor kitchen at the We Got This Garden.

Newsletter, June 2021

We got so much done in May! We hosted Health Hub plantings and cook-outs, built a lot of infrastructure for the Garden Network and harvested 428 pounds of food at the Maglio Farm. Thank you to all the supportive community members and volunteers that have made invaluable contributions! Scroll down to learn more. Watch for opportunities to get involved! Click the tiles below for program-specific updates or just scroll down to read it all.

health hubs

garden network

Kilbourn garden

maglio farm

shared harvest

urban waters

ground corps

HEALTH HUBS

Last month in our Community Garden Health Hubs, we hosted major garden builds, plantings and cook-outs. Along with garden leaders, volunteers, and our Ground Corps, we built five garden beds, a new compost structure and new platforms for rainwater tanks. Thanks to Tricklebee Cafe who donated lunch for all the workers!

At Thurston Woods Community Garden, Ground Corps built a much anticipated rainwater structure and three new ADA accessible beds. Neighbors were excited to see this new addition and impressed with the speed of the Ground Corps crew.

We also hosted a planting and cook-out event at Scooter’s Garden of Hope. Thanks to Chef Martin of Unsalted Life for his creative healthy cooking lessons and delicious food!

Upcoming Health Hub Yoga Sessions

We’re excited to announce that we will be hosting weekly yoga sessions at our Community Garden Health Hubs throughout the summer. Emily McDoniels of SoulShine Yoga will be leading all sessions. Sessions will rotate between Peace Park Community Garden, Uptown Crossing Community Garden and Hilltop Community Garden. Follow the link below to see all times and dates.

Want to participate in Health Hub programming?

If you live near one of our Community Garden Health Hubs and would like to participate in healthy outdoor programming, fill out this form to let us know what types of activities you’d like to see in the gardens. We would love to see you there!

GARDEN NETWORK

There’s so much going on in the Garden Network. Last month, we added another garden to the network, prepared our huge urban farm at 26th and Clybourn for planting and collaborated with Walnut Way to do the same at their location. We also made infrastructure updates to a number of gardens including, Mulberry Urban Eden, Solomon Community Garden, Historic Walnut Hill and the Young Farmers Garden at Mary Ryan Boys & Girls Club in Sherman Park. Check out the pictures below from this eventful month.

New Garden Alert

Yet another new garden joined the network this month. Welcome, St. Mark AME Church to the Milwaukee Grows Garden Network! We look forward to growing together!

Compost Crusader Discount

We are excited about a new collaboration with Compost Crusaders! Compost Crusaders is offering discounted compost to gardens or partners affiliated with Groundwork Milwaukee. Compost will be discounted from $35 per yard to $30 per yard for orders of 3 yards or more.

Garden Network Volunteer Opportunities

We’ll be hosting volunteer work days at the below times on a weekly basis. View our sign-up page for specific times and locations.

KILBOURN GARDEN

Each Thursday at Kilbourn, we host a volunteer workday to keep the garden looking fresh throughout the season. Thanks to all the volunteers who have helped us to keep the space tidy so far this season. If you’d like to come help out, follow the link below and sign-up for a ‘Weekly Kilbourn Workday’ time slot.

Maglio Farm

The sun is out and the hoop house sides are rolled up at the Maglio Farm. We’re entering peak production months and need all the help we can get! 

The last of the winter greens were ripped out, and as of this Saturday, June 5th, all beds are planted with new summer crops. Get ready for the bounty - peas, tomatoes, cucumbers, and more. Join us for weeding, harvesting, or for this month’s garden workshop!

May Harvest

COMPOST WORKSHOP

This month’s workshop is on composting. Learn to turn your organic waste into super soil with Samson Srok. Follow the link to register in advance.

shared harvest

June is here! That means we’ve kicked off our Shared Harvest programming. If you’re a backyard gardener and would like to donate your extra garden produce to local food pantries, sign-up for Fresh Food Connect and our volunteer couriers will come pick-up your donation once a week. To sign-up, download the Fresh Food Connect app from the app store and create an account.

Urban Waters

Adopt-a-River Annual Spring Clean-Up

Groundwork Milwaukee has partnered with Milwaukee Riverkeeper to adopt a section of Lincoln Creek between Hopkins and Sherman. In April, we collaborated with Milwaukee Riverkeeper to lead the annual clean-up kickoff! We filled 15 contractor bags with trash, and removed street signs and tires from the creek. A huge thank you to our tremendous volunteers who brought energy and joy to the event. We appreciate you! Thank you to all the community members who stopped to let us know the space was looking great. We look forward to our continuing stewardship of this tributary with Milwaukee Riverkeeper!

Please, come join us on June 26th from 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. for our next clean up event. Find more details below.

Prairie Planting at Lakeshore State Park

A huge thank you to everyone who participated in our prairie planting extravaganza with the Friends of Lakeshore State Park! We transplanted 1,052 prairie grasses and flowers along the Hank Aaron Trail. We couldn’t have done it without all your help, thank you!

Milwaukee River Water Monitoring in Estabrook Park

This year, Groundwork Milwaukee is partnering with Milwaukee Riverkeeper to monitor the quality of our waterways. We monitored our section, near Estabrook Park, with the help of Rebecca from Milwaukee Riverkeeper in May. These were our first samples of the season.

Seeking Youth Water Monitors

We are looking for a youth group that may be interested in monitoring with us the last week of August. Reach out to jacelia@groundworkmke.org for more information!

GROUND CORPS

Welcome, Bree!

In May, Bree joined Groundwork Milwaukee as the Ground Corps Crew Leader. In her short time with us, she has already brought a ton of energy and support to our field operations. Welcome to the team, Bree!

Newsletter, May 2021

Groundwork Milwaukee has been working hard! April was a very eventful month. We held Health Hub kick-off events, led garden cluster and adopt-a-river clean-ups and grew 638 pounds of food! Scroll down to learn more. Watch for opportunities to get involved! Click the tiles below for program-specific updates or just scroll down to read it all.

health hubs

garden network

Kilbourn garden

maglio farm

shared harvest

urban waters

youth green literacy

HEALTH HUBS

Last month we held Health Hub kick-off events in participating gardens. Kick-offs took place at Scooter’s Garden of Hope, Thurston Woods, Peace Place and Hillside Garden. We were thrilled to have to the opportunity to work with residents to prepare these gardens for the upcoming growing season. We were also proud to facilitate a cooking class in partnership with HeartLove Place at We Got This garden with Chef Martin of Unsalted Life as part of our Health Hub programming. Look for more programming like this in coming months. Check out these great pics we snapped in the Health Hubs!

Scooter’s Garden of Hope

Thurston Woods

Peace Place

Uptown Crossing

We Got This

Health Hub Planting & Cooking Event - May 21st

Join us at Scooters Garden of Hope for an afternoon of planting and cooking fun! We’ll be planting vegetables, herbs, and flowers in community garden beds between 3:00pm and 4:30pm. There’ll be a cooking demonstration from Chef Marvin between 4:30pm-6:00pm. Pre-register to guarantee a plate for the cooking demonstration by calling 414-763-9947 ext. 1009.

No experience required. Come prepared to work outside. We look forward to seeing you there!

Scooters Garden of Hope

2462 N. Buffum Street

May 21st, 3:00pm-6:00pm

 

Want to participate in Health Hub programming?

If you live near one of our Community Garden Health Hubs and would like to participate in healthy outdoor programming, fill out this form to let us know what types of activities you’d like to see in the gardens. We would love to see you there!

GARDEN NETWORK

Garden Welcome Signs

Over the past couple months, volunteers have created 45 welcome signs for our Milwaukee Grows Garden Network. This project has been a hit with volunteers and garden leaders alike. This month, we began installing them in Groundwork Gardens. Cherry Hill Garden was among the first gardens to receive its new welcome sings. While we were there, we helped prepare the garden for the growing season.

Neighborhood Cluster Clean-Up

In April, we were able to lead our first Neighborhood Cluster Clean-Up. A group of volunteers joined us at four of our gardens in the Midtown and Walnut Hill neighborhoods. We filled 15 bags of debris and got them picked up by the City of Milwaukee’s Project Clean & Green. Thank you volunteers!

More New Gardens!

We have more new gardens to introduce this month! Riverview Community Garden joined the Milwaukee Grows Garden Network and kicked-off their growing season with a work day. We are also very excited to announce that Walnut Way Conservation Corps has joined the network. We look forward to working together toward a greener more equitable Milwaukee!

Milwaukee Seed Library

A Seed library program will be launching soon in Milwaukee. The Seed Library program will be similar to the Little Free Library "take a book, leave a book" model. Gardens are free to start their own seed library, which they can register with the Milwaukee Seed Library, so community members can find seed library locations. A website will be launching soon, but for more information or to register a seed library, please contact milwaukeeseedlibrary@gmail.com

Compost Crusader Discount!

We are excited about a new collaboration with Compost Crusaders! Compost Crusaders is offering discounted compost to gardens or partners affiliated with Groundwork Milwaukee. Compost will be discounted from $35 per yard to $30 per yard for orders of 3 yards or more.

Garden Network Volunteer Opportunities

We’ll be hosting volunteer work days at the below times on a weekly basis. View our sign-up page for specific times and locations.

Walnut Way Campus Lift Up 2021

Come support our newest Garden Network members, Walnut Way Conservation Corps this Thursday, May 13th, 9am-1pm at 2240 N. 17th St. We’ll be building rows of soil, planting seeds and cleaning up the block. Sign up here.

KILBOURN GARDEN

All beds at Kilbourn Garden have been reserved for the 2021 season. Thank you to all our gardeners for registering. We look forward to seeing the fruits and vegetables of your labor!

Maglio Farm

We’re so excited for summer, we wet our plants! April was filled with some incredible volunteer days. We’ll continue to plant all May long. Come join us!

April Harvest

Art at the Maglio Farm

We’re excited to host family-focused events at the garden this May! We’re launching our raised bed youth education garden at the farm. If you have a youth group that’s interested in visiting the farm, email urbanfarm@riverwestfoodpantry.org and we’ll coordinate with you to offer hands-on urban agriculture education for youth.

Workshop: Addressing Insects & Disease in your Home Garden

Join us June 4th for our monthly gardening workshop at the Maglio farm. We’ll cover ecologically conscious ways to address insects and disease in your home garden.

Volunteer Hours

Planting has already begun at the Maglio Farm! Starting this April 6th, we’re officially launching our growing season hours. We’re out at the farm four days a week and need all the help we can get! Our harvest help shift is great for folks who want to support our work, but can’t commit to a full workday. It’s also the most family-friendly activity on the farm!

shared harvest

We’re looking for Fresh Food Connect couriers! Are you interested in picking up donated produce from your fellow Milwaukeeans? We’d ask you to collect once a week and bring the produce to us during one of our specified times. Groundwork then delivers the produce to local food pantries. Learn more on our Shared Harvest page. If your interested, email samson@groundworkmke.org or sing up for an upcoming orientation.

Urban Waters

Adopt-a-River Annual Spring Clean-Up

Groundwork Milwaukee has partnered with Milwaukee Riverkeeper to adopt a section of Lincoln Creek between Hopkins and Sherman. In April, we lead the annual clean-up kickoff! We filled 15 contractor bags with trash, and removed street signs, tires and a car bumper from the creek. A huge thank you to our tremendous volunteers who brought energy and joy to the event. We appreciate you! Thank you to all the community members who stopped to let us know the space was looking great. We look forward to our continuing stewardship of this tributary with Milwaukee Riverkeeper!

Please plan to join in the fun at our next clean-up on June 26th, 9:00am-11:30am (sign-up details yet to be published). Individuals and groups are welcome. Bring everyone you know! Let’s keep our waterways clean.

Friends of Lakeshore State Park Prairie Planting Extravaganza!

The Friends of Lakeshore State Park are happy to see all visitors using the park this spring already! The Friends and donors have provided funding to assist with restoration of Lakeshore’s second largest prairie. Known by DNR staff as Fox Prairie. This area is on the Lake Michigan shoreline and just south of the marina. DNR staff have been busy prepping the site and laying native prairie seed. 1,052 plant plugs have been ordered for the planting. We need your help getting them in the ground, and are looking for 15 volunteers to work alongside the Friends and Groundwork Milwaukee crew for each shift. Sign up for one or multiple plantings! 

We will be meeting at Lakeshore’s marina. 3-hr street parking is available near the north entrance on Harbor St. and Clybourn St., or at the south entrance near the Milwaukee Pierhead Lighthouse. Masks are required when social distancing is not possible, and we will be breaking up into small groups. Participants are encouraged to bring their own hand sanitizer, work gloves and spade or hori hori knife. A limited amount of loaner supplies will be available.

Saturday, May 22nd: 11am-1pm

Saturday, May 22nd: 1pm-3pm

Friday, May 21st: 11am-1pm

Friday, May 21st: 1pm-3pm

If you’re interested in volunteering at one of these plantings, sign up here!

Youth Green Literacy

Our Craig Montessori Green Literacy students have been operating a Mother’s Day Plant Sale internally at the school. They’re selling the plants they grew themselves! Students prepared promotional materials and spread the word at the school. They also priced each plant based on the effort it took to grow, its size, health and decoration. Plants are being sold at the school to staff and parents. Everyone is having a lot of fun with this event!

Today was our last day with our students at Craig. We had a celebration to recognize the students’ hard work. Part of the celebration was a meme-making exercise. Students made memes based on plant-related prompts. This is the one that made us laugh the hardest. They turned Elena into a meme!

Newsletter, April 2021

Groundwork Milwaukee is gearing up for the growing season. Below is a recap of what we did in March and what we’ll be working on in the near future. In April, we’re looking forward to our Community Garden Health Hub kick-off events which are underway in participating gardens. We’re also excited to lead the annual clean-up of Lincoln Creek with community partners. There’s so much going on! Come join us! Click the tiles below for program-specific updates or just scroll down to read it all!

health hubs

garden network

Kilbourn garden

maglio farm

shared harvest

urban waters

youth green literacy

sky schools wellness circle

climate safe neighborhoods

HEALTH HUBS

Last Friday, Groundwork Milwaukee kicked off its Community Garden Health Hub programming with We Got This and Running Rebels. Participating in urban gardening can have the effect of improving the number of servings of fresh food eaten, number of hours spent engaged in moderate physical activity, and the number of positive social interactions for gardeners. Studies have shown that when people engage in more of these activities they also reduce their risk factors for chronic disease. Gardens designated as Health Hubs will be provided intensive support and guidance for gardeners over the coming season. Groundwork plans to lead trainings on planting, preparing, and preserving fresh food through in-person and virtual, cohort based activities. Join us for upcoming Health Hub kick-offs.

Health Hub Kick-Off Events

*UPDATE: Both of these events were originally scheduled for April 10th, but have been rescheduled for April 17th due to rain on the original date.

Uptown Crossing Garden

2321-25 N 45th Street

Saturday, April 17th

2:00pm-5:00pm

Peace Place Garden with Heartlove

3240-48 N Martin Luther King Drive

Saturday, April 17th

9:00am-12:00pm

GARDEN NETWORK

Garden Welcome Signs

Over the past couple months, volunteers have created 45 welcome signs for our Milwaukee Grows Garden Network. This project has been a hit with volunteers and garden leaders alike. This month, we will begin placing them at our 80+ sites to welcome community members to the spaces! 

New Gardens

Before / After photo of the Solomon Community Temple garden build.

Nick and Devin pause for a picture at the Solomon Community Temple garden build.

Taking out the old beds at the Solomon Community Temple garden build.

Unloading the lumber at the Solomon Community Temple garden build.

Ground Corps members constructing garden beds at the NIA Purpose Garden which just started this year!

Shout out to our new gardens! Last month, Solomon Community Temple and NIA Purpose Garden joined the Milwaukee Grows Garden Network. We can’t wait to see what you’ll grow in your new green space!

Neighborhood Cluster Clean-Up

*THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED*

Please check back at a later time for more information on Cluster Clean-Ups.

Spring cleaning of Groundwork gardens has begun! We’ll be doing Neighborhood Cluster Clean-ups throughout April and May to ready community green spaces within our Milwaukee Grows Garden Network for the growing season. Clean-ups will take place at a series of gardens located within walking distance from one another. 

The first clean-up is on Saturday, April 17th from 9am - 2pm in the 53212 zip code. We’ll begin at Summer of Peace Park and Garden (2904 N. 5th St.) and continue southeast to five other sites, ending at Riverwest Garden School (831 E. Clarke St.). 

We will have trash bags, leaf bags, garbage pickers and gloves for safe pick-up. 

If you are interested in participating, please sign-up at our sign-up genius link, here. Elena Olsen-Valdez, our Volunteer & Community Programs Specialist will follow-up with liability forms and waivers.

Summer of Peace Park and Garden

2904 N 5th Street

Saturday, April 17th

9:00am-2:00pm

 

Thank You Stein’s Garden & Home!

Thank you to our partners at Stein’s. Their generous gift of seeds, tools and soil supplements will help our gardeners grow this season!

KILBOURN GARDEN

Registration is open for Kilbourn Garden. There are still beds available. Follow the link below to reserve your garden bed today! We look forward to seeing you in the garden!

Maglio Farm

Planting has already begun at the Maglio Farm! Starting this April 6th, we’re officially launching our growing season hours. We’re out at the farm four days a week and need all the help we can get! Our harvest help shift is great for folks who want to support our work, but can’t commit to a full workday. It’s also the most family-friendly activity on the farm!

As we lay the groundwork for a big summer harvest, the greens we cared for this winter have grown mature, and we’ve been able to harvest throughout this March.

shared harvest

A huge thanks to Little Laurentide Farm for dropping off a huge donation (48 lbs!) of salad greens, brought directly to Solomon Community Temple. Do you want to donate produce for Shared Harvest this summer?

Free Seeds

We’re offering *free seeds* for gardeners who commit to donating part of their harvest. Sign up on the Fresh Food Connect app now, or, if you’re not in an activated zipcode, email samson@groundworkmke.org to receive more information on how to pick up seeds.

Free Gardening Workshop

Join us for a free gardening workshop on April 30th at Maglio Farm, open to the public!

Soil Health 101 for Gardeners: Good gardeners grow food, but GREAT gardeners grow soil! We'll break soil science down to plain language, so what you need to know as a gardener. 

Friday, April 30th

5:30pm-6:30pm

at Maglio Farm

 

Urban Waters

Come join Groundwork Milwaukee and Milwaukee Riverkeeper in the Annual Spring Cleanup from 9am-12pm on Saturday, April 24th. We will be hosting the cleanup at Groundwork’s Adopt-A-River site between Sherman Boulevard and Hopkins Street along Congress. Our section is along Lincoln Creek which is a tributary of the Milwaukee River. We will meet on the northwest corner of Congress and Hopkins St, near 3510 West Congress Street. Park on Congress Street on either side of the river. We will supply all necessary gear, just be sure to wear comfortable clothing and durable shoes as there is a steep decline to the creek. Our site is designated as a Class III, meaning there is a lot of cleaning up to do. We will need your help! Register to help by clicking the button below.

Youth Green Literacy

Through generous donations, a SeedMoney Garden Grant, community members’ plant propagation donations and students’ efforts to collect repurpose-able materials, we assembled 50 take-home kits for 6th-8th graders at Craig Montessori! Throughout March, Groundwork Milwaukee has provided experiential learning remotely. Students have learned how to find the best sun in their home, check the moisture level of their plants and how to troubleshoot small issues using their observations. 

Sky Schools Wellness Circles

Groundwork Milwaukee is happy to host a Wellness Circle in partnership with SKY Schools Milwaukee. We invite ALL of Milwaukee to join us in this community conversation and empathy-expanding experience. How? Participants are invited to explore areas of their own identity, their wellness needs and the wellness needs of their community using diversity/equity tools and mindfulness/social/emotional learning processes. 

Please come join us this Thursday, April 8th from 4:30pm-6:00pm, here.

climate safe neighborhoods

Climate Safe Neighborhoods was mentioned in the media again. This time in Yale Climate Connections. Check out the full article below.