VOLUNTEERS DIG PAWTUCKET: Proud Day unearths urban farm in Pawtucket
On June 8, 2010, Pawtucket Proud Day volunteers teamed with residents to create a community garden on a one acre site at the Galego Court housing facility. The project, dubbed the “Garden of Life” by residents, is an innovative urban farm venture conceived by New Urban Farmers and the Housing Authority of the City of Pawtucket.
Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Roberts and Richard Godgrey from Rhode Island Housing and the KeepSpace advisory committee joined residents and volunteers for the Opening Ceremony of the Garden. The afternoon event celebrated the work done by volunteers and residents during Proud Day. Donna Matthews, Chairman of the event from the Foundation board of directors and a Senior Vice President at Bank Rhode Island served as master of ceremonies.
Taking time to thank residents, volunteers and the 30 sponsors and partners involved in the project were: Lieutenant Governor Roberts, Ed Tetzner representing the City of Pawtucket, Godfrey, Bleu Grijalva of New Urban Farmers, Steve Vadnais of the Pawtucket Housing Authority and Thomas Mann of The Pawtucket Foundation. As part of the ceremony, Mann presented the Foundation’s Golden Bucket award, annually presented to an outstanding volunteer. This year's prize went to Sean Harrington of Exit Realty, nominated for his work slashing through head-high weeds and pushing wheelbarrows uphill to plant fruit trees. Vadnais later unveiled "Freedom" a sculpture donated by local artist, Jaime F. Carrera.
More than 100 volunteers worked throughout the day to ensure the garden was ready for planting and the Opening Ceremony. During the morning session, residents and volunteers built worm compost bins; constructed and painted raised beds, benches and tables; created a tool shed out of a shipping container; clear cut head-high weeds; mixed soil; and planted seedlings. In addition, volunteers hung new basketball nets and picked up trash on the complex's soccer field.
Exchange Street Café provided lunch while volunteers listened to guitarist Michael Dubovsky. Following lunch, volunteers planted fruit trees, built a trellis, filled and planted 65 garden beds and 4 flower beds, sewed coffee bean cushions and completed morning construction projects.
For the first time in the seven years of Pawtucket Proud Day all volunteers worked at a single site. In the past volunteers had been split into small work groups to clean-up, weed, plant, paint and build at various sites around Pawtucket and Central Falls. "We felt that if we focused the full effort of our volunteers and resources at a single site we could have the greatest impact in the community," Mann explained. "Our volunteers proved that today."
Bleu Grijalva and Emily Jodka of New Urban Farmers led the projects for the day. The recently formed nonprofit organization works to create healthy, local and sustainable food sources for residents of Pawtucket and Central Falls. Grijalva and Jodka have been working with the Pawtucket Housing Authority and City of Pawtucket for more than six months to plan the Garden of Life.
In an effort to jump start the Galego garden site, The Pawtucket Foundation provided volunteers and resources during Pawtucket Proud Day. KeepSpace, a widely inclusive partnership initiative to change the way we think about, build and approach “community”, partnered with the Foundation to host the Opening Ceremony for the garden following the completion of volunteer work.
The Pawtucket Foundation would like to thank our 2010 Sponsors:
Alliance Blackstone Valley Federal Credit Union
Pamela Hughes
Sponsors In-Kind:
Blackstone Valley Tourism Council
City of Pawtucket
Dunkin Donuts - East Street, Pawtucket
Exchange Street Cafe
Jaime F. Carrera
Stop & Shop - Pawtucket Ave., East Providence
Donations for Pawtucket Proud Day are accepted via PayPal. Contributions are 100% tax deductible and may be made using the Donate button below.
Proud Day Overview
Pawtucket Proud Day was organized by The Pawtucket Foundation to bring the city’s business community together to create an impressive showcase of public spaces, neighborhood parks, and “gateways” of our city. The annual event was conceived by Collette Vacations CEO and Pawtucket Foundation Co-Chairman Daniel J. Sullivan as a way of demonstrating the commitment of the local business community to the revitalization of Pawtucket. The City of Pawtucket, represented by Public Works Director Jack Carney, contributes significant technical support, equipment, and humanpower to help make the effort a success.
Project History:
- 2009 - Featured sites include the Tolman Esplanade and hosting the official wall raising at Pawtucket's first Habitat for Humanity home. Volunteers also worked at the Central Falls YMCA, Slater Mill, Downtown tree wells, painting the Pawtucket Arts Collaborative and Tim Healy Way. The second annual Golden Bucket Award was presented to Ron Leitao from the Public Works Department for his efforts to prepare the Tolman site for volunteer work prior to Proud Day.
- 2008 - Presented with the first annual Golden Bucket Award for outstanding leadership in ensuring the success of Pawtucket Proud Day was, City of Pawtucket Public Works Director Jack Carney. Volunteers undertook projects at seven sites. 1. Landscaping at the Pawtucket History Research Center 2. Painting and landscaping at the Central Falls YWCA 3. Painting a mural and installing a community message board at the PCDC/Barton Street Tot Lot 4. Landscaping at four local schools 5. Landscaping and clean up at the corner of Barton and Dexter Streets 6. Clean up and landscaping at Hodson Park/Slater Mill 7. Landscaping in Downtown Pawtucket planters and tree wells.
- 2007 – Volunteers concentrated in the focus area of tidewater improvement projects. To that extent, the main project sites were Slater Mill historic site, Varieur Elementary School, and Perez Park. Volunteers landscaped the picnic area, tore down a condemned playground and landscaped a park respectively.
- 2006 – Volunteers focused on the area north of downtown into the Barton Street neighborhood. Projects are planned in coordination with the April event (Earth Day) so that there is a continuum of efforts following the Keep Our Neighborhood Beautiful celebration in April.
- 2005 – Volunteers worked on the beautification and clean-up of downtown Pawtucket to create the Pawtucket Civic Mural in the municipal garage, to save the downtown trees, and to give the area a visual lift by planting trees, flowers, and shrubs throughout the commercial district.
- 2004 – Pawtucket Pride Day concentrated on cleaning up the approaches and “gateways” leading to McCoy Stadium, prior to the International League All-Star Game in July.