Meet The Somerville Community Growing Center!
Published February 2022
As we (not so patiently) wait for spring, we sat down with Betsy Larkin, the vice president of the Somerville Community Growing Center’s volunteer board, to learn more about what they do and why they love growing in Union Square.
What planted the seed for your organization to start?
The Community Growing Center sits on a portion of the site that used to be the Southern Junior High School. When the school was torn down in 1991, the initial plan was to build affordable housing, however, there was also a need for open space. The idea was offered to create a new kind of educational, community-focused garden site—a place for people of all ages and backgrounds to gather, learn, celebrate, and grow community. An array of people, public and private groups, and government agencies partnered to shape the community space that we ultimately became, representing a novel collaboration in our city.
How has your organization evolved over the years?
In the ensuing decades, the Growing Center has flourished through the dedication and enthusiasm of its volunteers and partners. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the Growing Center was home to robust after-school outdoor education programs and outdoor classrooms. It was here that the Annual Maple Boil first took place, and it was partly out of the Growing Center's youth-focused nature education programs that Groundwork Somerville was born in 2000. The Friends of the Community Growing Center (the non-profit organization that oversees the Center) coordinates on-site concerts, festivals, wellness and educational programs and other events, free to the public.
How do you #LoveUnionSquare?
Density is a key aspect of Somerville; that the wildness of the city can flourish even in a small space like ours is an echo of the developed land of the surrounding landscape and the character of the community. We are who we are BECAUSE of our surrounding neighborhood, rather than DESPITE it. Union Square is changing rapidly every day, which is both exciting and slightly overwhelming. And the Green Line will be here (finally!) in a matter of weeks, connecting us directly to Boston and beyond. We are in the midst of so much of what makes Somerville great! The Growing Center, a wellspring of nature in the midst of a busy urban hub, is here to stay, offering a respite from the bustle of city life for years to come. #LoveUnionSquare by supporting our efforts to build community, promote the diversity of our city, engage children with nature and the outdoors, and bring people together through free public programs!
What’s the single most important reason for your success?
The volunteers! We have a quarter-acre, city-owned space that is actually not maintained by the City. Rather, everyone who cares for the space, plans programs, hosts Open Hours and fundraises is completely volunteer. If you've been looking for a new way to get involved in your community while meeting new people and maybe getting your hands a bit dirty, the Growing Center is for you!
Learn more about The Somerville Community Growing Center by visiting their website and following them on Instagram and Facebook. Or, email them to sign up to volunteer!