The family-owned landscaping business Heath Outdoor plans to transform the outside area of Mackida Loveal & Trip Outreach Center (MLT) this Juneteenth.
The company implements an annual program donating their time and talent in service of the local Black community. This is a gesture of freely giving labor to people whose ancestors had their labor stolen.
“The institution of slavery has had a lasting impact on the Black community, with many still wearing the invisible chains of generational trauma. Heath Outdoor’s goal is to help break those chains by supporting organizations like MLT on our Juneteenth Day of Service,” said Project Manager Justin Wedges.
“Neighbors along the East 38th Street Corridor will see vacant, overgrown lots transformed into beautiful spaces that can be used in the pursuit of health and wellness. That’s the kind of change we want for the community, as a whole, to provide a sanctuary, both physically and figuratively.”
Heath Outdoor will donate more than $75,000 worth of labor and equipment to clear overgrown lots, install drains and landscape an area a few blocks away from MLT’s facilities.
MLT plans to use the new space to grow more vegetables for its underserved neighbors.
There will also be room for yoga, mentoring and relaxation; all to advance the organization’s mission of “restoring our city one child at a time.”
Crews will be working Monday, June 19, 2023 from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
(Note: Crews will break for lunch from 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.)
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