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  • The abandoned garden
  • The original abandoned garden
  • Drawing of the final garden site plan
  • Drawing of one of the raised flower beds
project leader
Odili O
location
253-257 Orange Stree
(University Heights)
latest update rss
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the project

253-257 Orange Street in Newark, NJ was once a beautiful and vibrant community garden that was used and maintained by local students. For whatever reason, the property was abandoned and has been for years, and is now covered with litter and debris. Here’s where we come in.

This project will restore the previous abandoned community garden. Our mission will be to provide the area with easily accessible fresh food for the community and local businesses in an inclusive way, something that currently does not exist. We believe that this project is a great start for the local community to take power into their own hands. We plan to eventually provide spaces for educational outreach events for the community to further improve the community’s quality of life.

Our project aims for authenticity. It is being started by the community, for the community, and all donations and bed sponsorships will go directly into the Orange Street Community Garden maintenance and expansion.

 

the steps

Our goals for the year:

  • Clean and Prepare the Site - Before we started, there was a lot of debris from a local dumpster. This also seemed like a favorite spot for loitering. We have taken on the task to carefully clean the debris off of the site, which is already helping to make the neighborhood safer and more visually attractive.

  • Build the Raised Beds - Next we will begin to install the raised beds on the southernmost section of the site. These will mostly contain flowers donated from local florists and food, to help beautify the neighborhood and help people notice the upcoming community garden!

  • Installation of Storage and Water Station - Third, we want to provide a storage space for local community members to keep their tools. We plan on having a shed for the community, and provide items, such as gardening tools and other necessities.  

  • Build the Fence - Finally, we will install a fence. This will allow us to have a sense of security, so that we can start allowing members of the community to sponsor their beds and grow fresh food.

why we're doing it

As mentioned before, Northern Newark lacks access to fresh foods and we believe that this garden will not only supply better food options to the area, but begin an urban agricultural movement in the community.  

The team consists of:

Odili Onochie - an architect and urban planner based in Newark, New Jersey.

Sarah Moon - an agriculture and farming specialist based in Newark, New Jersey.

Marc Ware - a community coordinator who has experience setting up numerous community gardens in Los Angeles, California.

 

budget

Budget:

Our fundraising objective is to build the first six above ground bed.

We will need 256’ of 6”x6” pieces of lumber, which will cost $960.

The soil to fill up the beds be 102 cubic feet and will cost $544.

Subtotal = $1,504

ioby Platform Fee $35

ioby Fiscal Sponsorship Fee (5%) $75

ioby Donation Processing Fee (3%) $45

Total to raise = $1,659

 

updates

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photos

This is where photos will go once we build flickr integration

donors

  • Anonymous