Community Garden in Warren Becomes Model for City

Thirty-year dream of local resident comes to fruition

Not unlike other post-industrial cities in the Midwest and Northeastern United States, Warren faces serious problems including abandoned properties, vacant lots, and blight stemming from decades of disinvestment. Apathy increasingly seems to be an appropriate reaction to some of the challenges the city faces.

Mary Ann Franklin of Warren disagrees. Her partnership with the Mahoning Valley Organizing Collaborative (MVOC) through a Wean Foundation Neighborhood Success Grant has allowed her to bring hope into full bloom – literally.

The Warren Community Victory Garden was the 30-year dream of a concerned citizen that came to fruition in 2009. Franklin, treasurer for the Community of Concerned Citizens II neighborhood association, began planning a community garden to combat a number of issues in her community.

To begin, Franklin developed a partnership with the city school board to use the property behind the school near her home. “The property was going to waste because no one was using it,” she states. Franklin then partnered with DaMareo Cooper, a community organizer at MVOC, and together they obtained logistical support from The Ohio State University Extension and the Warren Urban League.

Community gardens are a tool for addressing blight, but they also serve as a catalyst for community interaction. “The school and Ohio State were on board, and now I was set to do my thing,” Franklin said, and do her thing she did. Franklin and Cooper began promoting the garden throughout the community. Soon, all 40 plots were taken – by neighborhood residents, by the Fine Arts Council, and even by Mayor Michael O’Brien. Franklin noted that, “There was a real fellowship among the gardeners. Everybody helped everybody. It was a beautiful thing.”

In addition, several plots were tended on behalf of the community, with the produce being donated to the local homeless shelter and family mission. In August, an open house was held for the entire city, showcasing the gardens at full bloom.

Community development circles within the city have been abuzz with news regarding the garden’s success. Franklin, who turned 81 this year, says that her goal for next year is to get more young people involved. The neighborhood association has already started taking applications for next season, and currently has ten submissions from residents under the age of 12. Franklin hopes that the success of this Victory Garden will encourage other groups to repeat the process in other neighborhoods throughout the city.

For more information on the Community Concerned Citizens II Victory Garden, or to find out how you can become more involved in Warren, please contact Lea Dotson, MVOC community organizer, at 330-743-1196 or email lea@mvorganizing.org.

Click Here to Return to Valley Voice Fall 2009