The Voices of the Middle Branch interview series aims to celebrate the communities around the Middle Branch through visual storytelling.
Jen, President of Friends of Garrett Park
“My family is from Brooklyn, but I live in Middle River now. I tend to a garden in Brooklyn and I’m the President of the Friends of Garrett Park. When we were stuck inside because of COVID, my favorite aunt passed away. I used the garden as catharsis and a place of healing. Then I met these wonderful people, expert gardeners, and we made an official garden out of it. We became members of the Farm Alliance of Baltimore, which is also in Brooklyn and Curtis Bay (with the Black Butterfly Garden, which is awesome), and started taking our produce to Waverly market to connect with the larger Baltimore area.
Brooklyn is about as far south as you can get in South Baltimore. Many people in Baltimore don't even know it exists, so I feel like a calling of mine is just to let everyone know that there is a beautiful amount of green space there. At Friends of Garrett Park, we do nature-based events for the community. We want to take vacant lots and rewild them with plants that are indigenous and plants that can help local restaurants. We just want to encourage agro-industry. This is all volunteer work for me. It's just out of my love for the town, because Brooklyn was the green space that really helped me to develop as a person. With green space in general, you feel connected no matter what's going on in your life, and you can go out and feel protected there. That is so important and so many city kids don't get to do that.
I started the Brooklyn Curtis Bay Greenspace Coalition because when I was growing up, I played in the woods and parks. The idea is to recreate that level of activity in the world that we're in right now and provide a safe space for kids to enjoy."
“With green space in general, you feel connected no matter what’s going on in your life, and you can go out and feel protected there. That is so important and so many city kids don’t get to do that.”