BAKERSFIELD, CA - A group of volunteers braved the heat today to bring new life to one Bakersfield neighborhood. The Keep Bakersfield Beautiful Committee is working on a community garden project to improve the quality of life in some urban neighborhoods.
What was once a vacant lot on 4th and Eye streets, is now a community garden.
Giving Tree Project Owner Amber Beeson said, "By not just removing the litter, but providing something that's beautiful, it gives people more of that sense of ownership and pride within their community."
Volunteers raked, planted and watered to create a space for not only plants to grow, but the community as well.
City of Bakersfield Community Relations Specialist for the Solid Waste Division Jessica Felix said, "The community really gets to know each other, they know who really belongs in the neighborhood and they become more neighborly, they become more emotionally invested in each other and in taking care of each other."
The garden also provides outdoor educational opportunities.
"This is going to demonstrate many different ways of gardening in small spaces, or an apartment areas, but them also allow different educational models to be launched and hosted in an outdoor setting," said Beeson.
Ikea Distribution Center General Manager, Martin Grieter said, "Create a better every day life for this neighborhood and for kids to see how plants grow, how vegetables grow, how fruits grow."
Organizers say they hope it will be a meeting spot for neighborhood watch groups and other community events.
Keep Bakersfield Beautiful worked with the Giving Tree Project, Ikea and other community partners to create the garden. The grand opening hasn't been set yet.
What was once a vacant lot on 4th and Eye streets, is now a community garden.
Giving Tree Project Owner Amber Beeson said, "By not just removing the litter, but providing something that's beautiful, it gives people more of that sense of ownership and pride within their community."
Volunteers raked, planted and watered to create a space for not only plants to grow, but the community as well.
City of Bakersfield Community Relations Specialist for the Solid Waste Division Jessica Felix said, "The community really gets to know each other, they know who really belongs in the neighborhood and they become more neighborly, they become more emotionally invested in each other and in taking care of each other."
The garden also provides outdoor educational opportunities.
"This is going to demonstrate many different ways of gardening in small spaces, or an apartment areas, but them also allow different educational models to be launched and hosted in an outdoor setting," said Beeson.
Ikea Distribution Center General Manager, Martin Grieter said, "Create a better every day life for this neighborhood and for kids to see how plants grow, how vegetables grow, how fruits grow."
Organizers say they hope it will be a meeting spot for neighborhood watch groups and other community events.
Keep Bakersfield Beautiful worked with the Giving Tree Project, Ikea and other community partners to create the garden. The grand opening hasn't been set yet.