PLANTING FOR PEACE

Celebrating Earth Day, Arbor Day, and Global Youth Service days, our Roots & Shoots group participated as part of over 100 volunteers from other local Roots & Shoots groups, girl scout troops, and Arizona Homegrown Solutions volunteers to plant 110 native mesquite trees in the barren Nuestro Barrio neighborhood. Working from their knowledge, skills, and experience base of previous re-vegetation efforts in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve and at Papago Park, group members appreciated the added benefit that these trees would provide in the form of edible outputs, in addition to shade, for these low income residents in a struggling neighborhood that recently lost its only grocery store within a three mile radius. We also planted trees in the community garden at the Wesley Center in the neighborhood and helped weed the garden. Check out this fun video of Planting for Peace on YouTube!