On Saturday, 8/10, the Anchorage Park Foundation partnered with Anchorage Parks & Recreation and Mountain View community members to host a volunteer event for the community to replace weedy planters outside the Mountain View Community Center.
The Boys & Girls Club staff enjoyed the idea of connecting youth with the opportunity to pick their own fruit and learn about where their food comes from and how it grows. Planters outside of the Boys & Girls Club housed dead spruce and birch trees, along with lots of weeds. Working with Park Planners, the Boys & Girls Club staff, and Parks & Rec’s volunteer coordination team, we developed a plan to plant fruit trees and berries in the planters to make the space come to life!
On the volunteer day, 15 community members joined in, along with several kids from the Boys and Girls Club, and had fun revamping the planters. Parks & Rec tree crew removed the dead trees, and then the volunteer crew weeded, put in new compost, planted, and mulched. A total of 4 crabapple trees, 1 birch tree, blueberry bushes, haskaps, and strawberries were added to the space.
The improved site should be producing fruit for everyone to enjoy in the coming years.
