GREEN TEAM BLOG: WEEK 5

Tuesday, July 20th, 2021

On Tuesday, we made stamps out of cardboard and foam window seal. We talked about elevator speeches which are a minute long speech to give info fast. Like your name, organization, mission, and what we learned and gained from the experience for our future. We presented them to each other. Later we painted and worked on our blog.

Wednesday, July 21st, 2021

On Wednesday we started off at Peace Place Park and identified plants, planted marigolds, and had pizza. Then we went to the Urban Ecology Center for a nature walk with photographer, Eddee Daniel. We learned how to take nature photos. It was fun.

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Thursday, July 22nd, 2021

On Thursday we went to Kilbourn and mowed the lawn, built a garden bed, numbered beds, and pulled weeds. Da’Janique and Elias learned how to use the circular saw to cut wood. Afterwards, we went to the office. We learned about NASA remote sensing programs and watched videos. Then we went on a video call and got to meet NASA scientists and Green Team members from Groundwork ORV in Cincinnati.

Friday, July 23rd, 2021

We weeded a pathway on Friday at Florence Lambert in the morning. Then we went back to the office to paint and line up benches. After we touched up the benches, we got frosties!

Gardening with a Cause this Season

Milwaukee Community Journal, August 3rd, 2021

The Milwaukee Community Journal interviews Groundwork Milwaukee’s Food Systems Specialist, Samson Srok, and Kayla Birdsong, CEO of Fresh Food Connect, about Groundwork’s role as a Fresh Food Connect operator. Have a look at the article to learn how to get register for Fresh Food Connect and/or visit our Shared Harvest page to learn more about Groundwork’s food rescue efforts. View full story.

GREEN TEAM BLOG: WEEK 4

Tuesday, July 13th, 2021

On Tuesday, July 13, 2021, we were at the office and learned about nutrition. We read the back of food products and looked at the nutrition facts. 

Wednesday, July 14th, 2021

On Wednesday, Jul 14, 2021, we went to Scooters Garden of Hope and Hilltop Community Farm and Garden.  At Scooters we played the ‘Ah uhm’ game. Later that day we walked to Hilltop and dug out strawberries to transplant to Scooters.

Thursday, July 15th, 2021

In the morning, we were at West Care Orchard. We didn’t have much work to do so we had a group activity called “gift seats” where we talked about our opinions about working with each other. After that our intentions were to go help the community by picking up trash. There was no trash in the gardens, so we ended up continuing gift seats and talking amongst each other. Later in the afternoon we went to Victory Garden Initiative. There, we got to try fresh cherries, which were very sweet. Marii and Jacelia fell in love with the cat and named it Milo. Later we got to meet some kids from Detroit. Todd and Marii danced for them and we introduced ourselves and so did they. 

Friday, July 16th, 2021

On Friday, we went to Alice’s Garden and weeded around the fence. After that we went to Walnut Way and harvested cherries and currants.

Glendale Urban Farm Donating Thousands of Pounds of Produce

TMJ4, July 29th, 2021

TMJ4, interviews Groundwork Milwaukee’s Food Systems Specialist, Samson Srok, about the 11 hoop house Maglio Farm we run in collaboration with Riverwest Food Pantry. We’re extremely proud of this work and grateful for the spotlight. View full story.

Community Spotlight: Hilltop Community Farm & Garden

In the Harambee neighborhood on Buffum Street, right between Meinecke and North Avenue, lives Hilltop Community Farm & Garden. The first thing you notice when you visit the space are the garden beds. There are fifty of them in total, each is 4’x 8’, laid out in long lines with skinny pathways in between each strip. Many perennial herbs are in full bloom at this point in the growing season. Massive stalks covered in flowers dominate the view. As you walk down the rows, you’ll see the picnic table and chairs under the tree, inviting you to take a rest and enjoy the view. The garden is a hodgepodge of scrapped and recycled materials that have been arranged to create a vibrant green pocket in Harambee where gardeners use all types of growing techniques to raise a diverse variety of fresh food.

“I think community greenspace is an undeniably essential part of life. You can’t just have a concrete jungle. Our brains are hardwired to be outside, to play around. You can’t just be in a house all day. Greenspace creates these safe spaces for people to have genuine interactions.”

This quote is from Nick Montezon, Groundwork Milwaukee’s Field Operations Manager and the main garden steward of Hilltop. He took the space over after it had been abandoned by a previous garden leader. Garden abandonment is an unfortunate but understandable reality in the nature of volunteer-run greenspace. Community gardens require time, energy, and love from all types of neighbors to remain vibrant neighborhood assets. Nick took over the space in 2016, and after surveying the neighborhood, re-named what was previously Harambee Homestead to Hilltop Community Farm & Garden. 

“A neighbor told me about this song that came out - like the Hilltop Gang in the 90s and that people on this block were claiming that they were part of the Hilltop. I just liked the name.”

With paperwork signed and Nick listed as the new garden leader, he got to work building the garden from the ground up. Using scrapped wood left over from Groundwork projects, found in alleyways, or otherwise scrounged, he turned the four original garden beds into a 50 bed growing paradise over three years. Nick originally envisioned Hilltop as a production garden. 

“I would love to be able to have young people in the neighborhood be able to make an income off of very little amount of work. Many of the beds have perennial herbs like mint and mullein that don’t require much effort to maintain. We have the infrastructure to grow here, and I’d like to have the network to figure out where folks could sell, and then the knowledge to help teach people how to be able to grow and sell. For now, it’s mostly turned into a community garden without too much focus on production.”

There’s a little bit of everything growing in these beds. Everything that’s grown is offered at no cost to community members or given to food pantries through Groundwork Milwaukee’s Shared Harvest program. Around half of the beds are individual gardeners, and the rest are communally taken care of by a dedicated team of two to three folks and the support of Groundwork Milwaukee volunteers. The space has a serene quality to it. Tranquility blooms & grows in these beds right along with the tomatoes.

“I’ve always had a really positive response from everybody that lives around here. And I really made it intentional to get to know everybody here. I live a fifteen minute walk from here - so I knew I needed to make a good impression on folks who live directly on the block and make them a priority in terms of who gets access to the gardens, to the food. One of the first things I did when I started here was litter cleanups. I’m trying to build trust in these small ways, just by cleaning up.”

Making sure that the neighbors see the garden as a community space and are invited to take part in the harvest is crucial to Nick and his team’s work. 

“Everytime I’m here, people will say hey, wave to me. Sometimes bring me water or food, stuff like that, if I’m out here working. And then I’m also able to go knock on doors and bring bundles of goodies, like hey I got a ton of herbs. Come on in, this is your space. In general - there's a bounty. You get to harvest season and when it rains - it pours. It’s like - please take this! Someone! For me, the real trick is that first connection. So I try to knock on the door and bring whatever I got. Give them that first taste and hope they come back for more.” 

Gardens are nature spaces for community gathering. It’s part of what brings wellness and health to a community. Hilltop Community Farm & Garden aims to be a space of community members to gather, connecting with each other and with the land. This made the space a natural candidate to be one of six of Groundwork Milwaukee’s Community Health Hub Gardens.

“Health Hubs is awesome. It’s brought a bunch more resources to the garden in a couple different ways. One of them is just capacity. I got a lot of help in the spring and this fall from the Groundwork team to build new beds, repair old ones. We’ve built at least six or seven new garden beds on site. I like the concept of connecting gardens to health outcomes. There is a dynamic of resources that Groundwork is bringing with healthy planting classes, healthy cooking classes, yoga and stretching, and the physical work itself. One of our volunteers here talks about how gardening is his physical therapy. It’s his break from his work.”

The emphasis on health can be seen in the selection of plants that are grown. According to Montezon, nearly half of the plants have medicinal value. Some of these plants include motherwort and mullein. A few beds are dedicated to perennial berries like raspberries and strawberries. The rest of the beds are growing a variety of annuals like greens, cucumbers, tomatoes, and more. 

If you’re walking past Hilltop on a Sunday morning, it’s more than likely someone will invite you to harvest some mint or any of the other generous herbs growing strong. You’ll hopefully have a moment to talk with that person and hear about their connection to the space and why it matters to them.

“A big part of community gardens, to me, is about power and giving power to the people who live on the block. To say, I have the power to design the world around me. I can look outside and see a space that’s vacant, a space that’s depreciating, and turn it into an asset. To build around an idea that is my own. This is a space where you can put your vision to life and you have ownership, you have control. This is a greenspace. Come in. Build it.”

GREEN TEAM BLOG: WEEK 3

Tuesday, July 6th, 2021

Tuesday, July 6th, we worked at Hilltop Community Garden. We started off identifying every plant in each garden bed. We then picked mint and chives. Since it was too hot, later on that day we went to the office and spent the rest of the day there. At the office we worked on edging and painting our benches. 

Wednesday, July 7th, 2021

Wednesday, July 7th, we were located at the office. We started off talking about nutrients, healthy and unhealthy fats, fiber, protein, and whole grains. Then, we got more active and prepared and cooked. We made two healthy recipes which were chicken fajita and peanut chicken skewers. The recipes included elements of the different healthy food groups that we had learned about in the beginning of the day.

Thursday, July 8th, 2021

Thursday, July 8th we were at the Thurston Woods Community Garden. We started off filling each bed with soil, and one group flipped soil. We then walked to the New Beginnings are Possible Community center, and Kimberly told us about the center. Afterwards, we went back to the garden to play charades. Todd and Jacelia broke down a shed. We also made a wood chip trail between garden beds!

Friday, July 9th, 2021

On Friday, July 9th, we were at Florence Lambert Community Garden. We started off weeding the garden beds and the pathway. After that we split up into groups. One group cut unwanted branches down. The other team worked on building a garden bed. At the end of the day we did some journaling.

Racism is Magnifying the Deadly Impact of Rising City Heat

Nature, Alexandra Witze, July 14th, 2021

This article in Nature explores the relationship between institutional racism and the dangerous impacts of extreme heat events in American cities. Scientists are mapping correlations between race, poverty and heat in cities, and suggesting solutions to reduce the dangers. The article includes map layers created by Groundwork Milwaukee’s Deputy Director of GIS, Lawrence Hoffman, in his role as the lead GIS expert for Groundwork USA’s Climate Safe Neighborhoods initiative. View full story.

GREEN TEAM BLOG: WEEK 2

Tuesday, June 29th, 2021

On Tuesday June 29th, 2021, we started the day weeding at Golda Meir Garden, just outside the office. We weeded for a while then switched activities. The next activity that we ended up doing was called “The Teaching Game''. This game is where you split into a group of two or three and teach the people in your group something that you know. After teaching, you have to share with the rest of the team what you have learned. Then, we painted benches and listened to music. While painting we mainly focused on edging. To edge a bench is to clean up the parts of a bench that a roller can’t get. Afterwards, we took another break. While on the break we did another group activity which is called '' The Eye Contact Game ''. This game is about getting to know your team better. The game indicates you have to lock eyes with a person. You and the person you locked eyes with have to share something about yourselves that nobody already knows. While playing the game, we got to learn a lot about other people that we didn’t know. Another group activity that we did was two truths and a lie. Each person told two facts about themselves and one lie, then everyone had to guess which one was the lie. 

Wednesday, June 30th, 2021

On Wednesday, June 30th, we went to McGovern Park Community Garden and weeded. We weeded each garden bed. We then played a picking up trash game that helped us clean the park. In the game we picked two colors (red and pink). Those colors were worth 2 points. While picking up the trash if we found a pink or red colored piece of trash your team would get two points. Regular pieces of trash would give your team 1 point. After the picking up trash game we went on a walk to look at the apple trees. Another activity that we did was the ‘uh um’ game. In the ‘uh um’ game everyone separates into groups of about three or four. A person must talk to their group about a certain topic for one full minute without saying the following taboo words: “Ah”,”Um”,”Like”, or “You Know”. If the person does not say the taboo words in the round, then the person can move to the second round. If they do say the words, it's the next person's turn.

Thursday, July 1st, 2021

On Thursday July 1st, 2021 we started off at Maskani Place on Center St. where we weeded and flipped the soil. We did an activity called ‘Would you rather' where we had to choose between dying in the heat or in the cold or if we would rather have our dream house or dream car. Then we saw a dead rodent in the alley way.  We then walked to Killbourn where we had to weed. One group weeded. One group built pollinator garden beds.

Friday, July 2nd, 2021

On Friday July 2nd, we started the day off at the Maglio Farm. While being at Maglio, we harvested cauliflower, radish, broccoli, kale, and chard. We also talked about food problems and came up with solutions to them. We also talked about economics. In my opinion this experience was good.  Later on in the day we ended up heading to Estabrook Park where we tested the temperature of the water and looked for different types of bugs. The last thing that we did was dissolve oxygen. This is where you put water in a little bottle and put different types of chemicals inside to see how long and how many packages it takes to become clear and clean water. After water monitoring, we received our work shirts.

Community Garden Fights Hunger in Heart of Milwaukee

TMJ4, July 7th, 2021

This spring, local news team, TMJ4, interviewed our Community Programs Manager, Matt Vogt, about the Groundwork Milwaukee-led Kilbourn Community Garden. The interview emphasizes the giving garden beds where anything that grows is free to the community. The clip also features some thrilling drone footage of the garden. Watch for their follow-up story in the coming weeks. View full story.

Community Spotlight: Solomon Community Temple

Katharine planting in Solomon Community Temple’s Belong Place garden beds which were recently constructed in partnership with Groundwork Milwaukee.

Billie accepting a donation of greens from the Maglio Farm.

The bread shelf in the Helping Community Food Pantry.

In 2021, Solomon Community Temple United Methodist Church joined Groundwork’s Milwaukee Grows Garden Network. Located on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Solomon Community Temple is a valuable community resource in Milwaukee’s Harambee neighborhood. Solomon Community Temple collaborates with Groundwork in two important ways: 1) the Temple’s in-house foody pantry, called the Helping Community Food Pantry, receives donations from Groundwork’s Shared Harvest food rescue programming, 2) the Temple’s community garden is now part of the Milwaukee Grows Garden Network.

Originally called The Helping Place, the pantry came to fruition in the early 1990’s when community members saw the need for food at no cost to local families. With support from Feeding America and Hunger Task Force, the pantry’s operators were able to serve dry goods, meats, eggs, milk and more.

In 2010 the pantry moved from St. James United Methodist Church on 24th and Keefe to its current location, and in 2017 they changed the name to the Helping Community Food Pantry. The pantry is run by dedicated volunteers like Billie, Dorothy, Dee and Katharine. Billie has been volunteering since 2009.

The food pantry opens its doors each Thursday and typically serves 15-30 pantry shoppers each week. The pantry aims to give out more than food. Solomon Community Temple sees the food pantry as just one part of their work in community building, uplifting folks and creating a sense of true belonging. The pantry currently offers free clothing, maintains a community garden, and is taking steps to be able to connect pantry shoppers to social services like housing and employment.

As Solomon Community Temple is only one mile south of the Maglio Farm, which serves as the central operating location of Groundwork’s Shared Harvest programming, the Helping Community Food Pantry was a natural partner to help Groundwork distribute the food we rescue to those who might benefit most from having it.

Furthermore, the garden is a critical piece the Temple’s larger mission. Named, the Belonging Place, the garden will be used not just to provide fresh produce to pantry shoppers, but to host community events, programs, outdoor worship, and more. Solomon Community Temple is partnering with UWM Community Design Solutions and MMSD in addition to Groundwork Milwaukee to develop green infrastructure in the garden.

Groundwork’s partnership with Solomon has helped install raised beds and a rainwater harvest structure. There are plans to make the space more ADA accessible. Donations are always welcome to assist with garden infrastructure like little lending libraries, benches, and bike racks.

A picture before (left) and after (right) Groundwork collaborated with Solomon Community Temple to build new raised beds in the Belonging Place Garden.

In the immediate future, Solomon volunteer, Billie, is working to create a fund to provide carts for pantry shoppers without transportation. Pantry boxes are often chock-full of food and heavy. These carts would help residents that travel by foot to safely and efficiently get their groceries home. The ministry for these carts would be named in tribute to Kelly Quarles, a pantry volunteer who passed away last year due to covid-19 complications. Solomon Community Temple is running a fundraising campaign to support this goal. You can read more about this fundraiser, including how to donate, here.

Groundwork Milwaukee Launches Project to Promote Community Gardens

CBS 58 Newsroom, June 25th, 2021

Local news, CBS 58, interviewed our Director of Programs and Operations, Damien DeBuhr, about our Community Garden Health Hub partnership. View full story.

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!

We Got This Garden Benefits Milwaukee Youth

FOX6 News, May 27th, 2021

FOX6 News aired this piece on We Got This garden who are legacy members of Groundwork’s Milwaukee Grows Garden Network. We’re proud to call We Got This one of our Community Garden Health Hubs for the 2021 growing season and look forward to our ongoing partnership. View full story.

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!

Honoring Earth Day All Year

Shepherd Express, Virginia Small, April 19th, 2021

This article in the Shepherd Express explores the history of Earth Day and highlights Milwaukee organizations that are leading the local environmental movement. Groundwork Milwaukee is one those organizations! View full story.

Climate Safe Neighborhoods Story Maps

Climate Safe Neighborhoods Homepage, April 13th, 2021

Over the past three years, Groundwork Milwaukee has been providing GIS support to the Climate Safe Neighborhood partnerships. A major part of this collaboration has been the construction of multi-media story maps that incorporate text, photos and maps to guide viewers through the equity-based climate resiliency work our colleagues around the country are undertaking in their communities. Yesterday, the final story map of the second cohort of Groundwork Trusts to participate in Climate Safe Neighborhoods was published. View the story maps on the Climate Safe Neighborhoods Homepage.

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.

How Decades of Racist Housing Policy Left Neighborhoods Sweltering

New York Times, August 24th, 2020

This article in the New York Times explores how the legacy of redlining has left certain neighborhoods disproportionately vulnerable to extreme heat which is predicted to increase as the climate changes. Groundwork’s Climate Safe Neighborhoods project is referenced as an example of climate resiliency advocacy work. View full story.

Healing Spaces Initiative: Where Flowers Bloom So Does Hope

Healing Spaces Initiative: Where Flowers Bloom So Does Hope

Milwaukee Community Journal, March 23rd, 2021

The City of Milwaukee is launching the Healing Spaces Initiative in the Harambee neighborhood. Milwaukee’s Neighborhood Improvement Development Corporation (NIDC) will lead the city’s effort. Groundwork Milwaukee will play a large role in community outreach and construction of the healing spaces. View full story.

The Link Between Racist Housing Policies of the Past and the Climate Risks of Today

Yale Climate Connections, March 18th, 2021

Maps of Denver show neighborhoods, outlined in red, that were once redlined. Today, such neighborhoods often have fewer trees and experience hotter temperatures in summer than other neighborhoods nearby. (Images credit: Groundwork Milwaukee)

Groundwork USA, a network of environmental justice organizations, is exploring the connection between formerly redlined neighborhoods and the climate crisis today. As part of its Climate Safe Neighborhoods initiative, Groundwork overlaid historic redlining maps from nine U.S. cities with data about tree cover, heat, and impervious surfaces such as asphalt and concrete. All of the maps discussed in this interview were made by Groundwork Milwaukee.