Vacant lots have long been an eyesore in the city’s side, but a local organization is trying to change that by enlisting volunteers to transform the sites.
The initiative will bring much-needed growth and opportunity to the Garfield Park neighborhood, which has undergone a long-awaited renovation.
“Giving a touch of color [to] “This once abandoned place that you’ve walked past a thousand times can spark something,” says Ruben Nicolaescu of Southside Blooms.
Whether it brings a smile or a glimmer of hope, it’s part of the mission of the team at Southside Blooms, an Englewood-based nonprofit focused on empowering youth through agriculture.
The organization began construction on a vacant lot in Garfield Park on Thursday for what is just the first phase of a transformation that they hope will soon turn the site into a sustainable flower farm.
“They want to beautify a space that is normally overlooked and, you know, underutilized,” Nicolaescu said.
It will be the sixth urban flower farm for the non-profit organization. First, flowers are planted and after months of careful care, they are brought to their store and sold.
Southside Blooms relies on local youth at risk of gang and gun violence, providing them with meaningful opportunities to learn, work and grow.
“A lot of people don’t give back to the community like they should,” said Sir Jayden Addison, a volunteer. “This is actually a good way to give back and that’s one of the great things [about this].”
Nicolaescu added: “I want them to leave with a sense of value. Value was added, and value was taken away from the experience, and then value will remain, so that’s why.”
While the volunteers spend their entire day at the future flower nursery, they return for weekly maintenance. It is expected that a fully landscaped garden will be created by early spring.
