Giving Good

Where are the community gardens located?
Over 12,000 volunteers help to beautify our region by planting more than 200,000 flowers in 130 community gardens in 20 counties each spring. A complete listing of the communities where you can find gardens is on our website at: www.waterlandlife.org

Do you need to be an experienced gardener to participate?
No prior gardening experience is necessary! Children are welcome with adult supervision (planting day is not usually appropriate for children under eight).

When are the gardens planted?
Gardens are planted almost every day in May. If a group has a preference for a particular garden, they should contact us, at (412) 586-2324 to discuss their interests.

What can you expect to be doing?
You will be planting and mulching annual flowers. The average garden takes approximately 4 hours to complete (not including transportation to and from the site.)

What should you bring with you to the planting?
The Conservancy provides the plants, general planting instructions, tools, gloves (though you are welcome to bring your own), and safety vests for all volunteers. Plan to wear sturdy shoes (no sandals!) to protect your feet.

Plantings are done rain or shine so dress for the weather—layers if it is cool, rain gear if it is wet, sunscreen and hats for bright days.

You will get dirty! You may want to bring a hand towel, a change of shoes, and a bag for your dirty shoes.

Some of the Benefits of Community Gardening
• Get a great workout!
• Make a visible difference in your community.
• Meet great people who also care about the quality of life in your area.
• Enjoy being outdoors with friends and family.
• Learn about good practices such as recycling organic wastes through composting and water conservation through mulching.
• Community gardens increase awareness of the value of greenspace, increase volunteerism, and increase commitment by citizens to protect the quality of the environment.

We are a nonprofit that helps pregnant women in need with supplies, education, temporary housing and counseling. We started receiving calls from relatives (particularly senior citizens) who are suddenly raising children due to the opioid crisis. We knew we needed to start a program to help. Our current distribution centers offers clothing up to size 5T so we needed a space specifically for clothing for older children. A room has been renovated at our location at 550 California Avenue and we have been accepting donations. We have clothing racks on the way but need volunteers to sort and organize these donations. We would also like volunteers to help us staff this program. We are hoping to provide 5 outfits per child and basic toiletry items. We also hope to grow this program to include counseling and support groups.

There are opportunities for volunteers to participate in fundraising, gardening, special events, building maintenance and working to support our Early Education Program. Whatever your talent, we have a rewarding experience waiting for you.

North Hills Community Outreach is a community- and interfaith-based organization addressing the needs of people in crisis, hardship and poverty. It is our vision that Northern Allegheny County is a sharing community where no one needs to be cold, hungry or alone. Our Food Pantry sites and Garden are the bread and butter of our organization, and it is how we initially reach a majority of the families we serve in other various ways. So it is very important that both are maintained and continue to grow.

Child, Inc., an independent 501(c)(3), non-profit corporation, is the Head Start program for Travis County, founded in 1972. We provide early childhood development programs for children from low-income families, with comprehensive services including education, health, dental, nutrition, and mental health services, along with special education for children with disabilities. Our goal is to provide each child with the necessary attention to promote the child’s growth, maturation and school readiness. We operate 16 child development centers located throughout Travis County, and our mission is to provide high-quality education and comprehensive support services for children and their families while promoting personal and social responsibility in the communities we serve.

Area of interest – (example, Children, Women, Homeless, Music, Beautification, Veterans)