Volunteer Workday and Party at "The Nook"

General Information

Join Oasis Farm and Fishery and Grounded Strategies in the beautification of this community space on Kelly Street in Homewood.

We need your support to construct new garden beds, to plant trees and flowers, and to build furniture to make this a great place to rest and play for years to come. We will provide instruction, food, refreshments, music and other fun activities.

Grab a ticket so we know how many people to expect. If you want to bring friends, please reserve multiple tickets!

About Grounded Design and Placemaking

Grounded Strategies is a Pittsburgh-based non-profit working to address the public health issues resulting from hyper-vacancy in Allegheny County. For the past 15 years, we've worked with residents to establish networks of maintenance and care for the vacant lots in our neighborhoods.

The Design and Placemaking Program at Grounded manages vacant land interventions that require design services. This includes providing neighborhood scale community planning support, producing phased design development materials, and implementing these designs with the help of external contractors, Grounded Stewards and volunteers. Our signature Community Co-Design Process positions residents as the central party. Together, we create sites that reflect and elevate the unique culture and history of each neighborhood.

About The Nook Project

The Nook Project at Oasis Farm and Fishery is a design intervention that addresses vacancy and public space concerns in Homewood.

Last fall, OFF's Tacumba Turner collaborated with architectural designer and Carnegie Mellon University graduate, Ever Clinton, and The Falk School of Sustainability at Chatham University to initiate a community charette series. This summer, OFF partnered with Grounded to implement changes to the site according to the resident feedback they collected.

With the generous support of an anonymous donor, our team has begun construction of an intergenerational, outdoor educational space where residents of Homewood can learn about medicinal plants. We are working to provide a shade structure, new landscaping, and doing our best to create a pathway that's comparable to ADA standards with porous surfacing.

What to Expect at these Volunteer Days

We are seeking volunteer support for the following build tasks:

planting trees, flowers, etc.

garden bed / fence construction

outdoor furniture assembly / installation

wood staining and finishing

Over the years, the majority of our projects have been completed with the help of volunteers. Activities during a volunteer day can range from carpentry to landscaping and painting. Since we'll be working outdoors, we advise that appropriate precautions are taken. Come prepared with long pants, closed-toe shoes, and any sun protection, i.e. hats or sunglasses. We do provide sunscreen and bug-spray on-site.

We don't require special skills for volunteer days, but we welcome individuals with relevant skill sets related to architecture and construction, carpentry and landscaping. The general expectation is that all volunteer tasks are easy to pick up, can be taught on-site and carried out with minimal guidance. It's an opportunity to lend a hand and maybe learn something new.

See you there!

Host or Publisher Grounded