In Rose Park, the neighborhood garden grows more than vegetables. The space has become a hub for neighbors to come together across different generations and cultures through the shared act of gardening.
In March 2024, Karina Lugo-Villalba, the volunteer program coordinator at Wasatch Community Gardens and a community advocate for Rose Park, initiated a cleanup operation for the Rose Park garden. When she started, the space had suffered from years of neglect, with overgrown vegetation towering over fences, walkways and some garden plots.
“As a group, we realize we are accomplishing a lot together,” she said. “Beautifying a space, even just bringing value to pockets in our neighborhoods and these shared spaces, gives folks the bigger opportunities to engage.”…