Transforming a Garden into Neighborhood Pride: The Story of Tioga Hope Park and Garden

Collaborative efforts turn a vacant lot into a vibrant community hub.

Gardening can be a hobby. But with invested neighbors, partners, and funding, a garden can transform into a neighborhood pride.

Pela McFee has lived in Tioga since she was nine years old. She recalls when a neighborhood garden was destroyed on Venango Street to build an additional house. Although one garden was lost to development, it sparked the community to come together and plant on land now known as the Tioga Hope Park and Garden on 2000 West Tioga St.

With humble beginnings as a few benches and plants in the 1980s, neighbors gardened portions of the land. McFee, a Tioga garden volunteer, dreamed of the space being a more considerable neighborhood asset. “The idea is [the garden is] for the community, not for ourselves,” McFee explained.

Carolyn Booker, a fellow Tioga Garden volunteer and 43-year Tioga resident, recalls the garden being transformed in 2015 by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS)’s Landcare Program. “That’s when everything was all opened up, where you could really see the size of the garden and appreciate it,” described Booker.

Over the past nine years, the garden has flourished to include an orchard and pollinator garden with support from partners. What started as a garden on straw bales became five raised beds through the SHARE Program. PHS and Philly City Repair provided materials, and the Xerces Society helped with a pollinator kit.

The result? A cleaner, community space.

On Wednesday, Booker and McFee were joined by members of the Environmental Protection Agency, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS), and Tioga United to tour the community efforts.

PHS’s Nicetown and Tioga Greening Plan

PHS, Nicetown CDC, and Tioga United collaborated and gathered feedback from over 400 residents to create a green vision for both the Nicetown and Tioga neighborhoods. The four neighborhood priorities are to reduce trash and litter; increase access to fresh, healthy food; reduce crime; and increase job opportunities. The Greening plan for Nicetown and Tioga is estimated to cost $5 million and runs through September 2025.  

The Environmental Protection Agency’s EJ Small Grants program partly funded the Love Where You Live Plan. Nicetown Tioga is one of 37 environmental justice communities the agency is focused on for quality of life. “The local community has the wisdom. They have the experience. They know their neighborhoods, and our job is to show up and support them,” said Adam Ortiz, EPA’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator. The EPA announced that $2 billion from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funding will go towards environmental justice challenges for communities.

Spreading community pride through nature

Beyond the garden, the beauty through nature spreads throughout the streets of Tioga, too. Tree plantings through giveaways have increased the tree canopy on Tioga streets. PHS’s Love Where You Live Front Yard/Porch Challenge transformed blocks into vibrant green spaces, with themes from a purple-centered Prince theme to African-inspired gardens. This year, the challenge doubled the number of participants from last year.

According to McFee, the community respects the garden, which has reduced trash in the area. Trash cans have been added, and residents don’t litter in the space. “People in the community respect it,” said McFee. The garden has hosted birthday parties and even McFee’s bridal shower. Tioga United and PHS have also hosted produce giveaways for neighbors, cleanups, and other initiatives to benefit the community.

“It’s a ground zero area. We’re trying to make it safer for the community,” said Ahmir Harris, NAC coordinator at Tioga United. Tioga United employs local young adults to become involved in their community. As the young employees described, working at the organization has helped them become more social, meet neighbors, and find community.

Keeping momentum moving for the garden

Despite being a community asset, the land at Tioga Hope Park and Garden is still unsecured. PHS is working with Neighborhood Garden Trust to secure it permanently.

It’s hard to see the progress when you’re in the middle of a project, but community feedback helps keep momentum going for the Tioga Hope Garden volunteers. “We are really doing this. And everybody sees that we’re doing this, and they’re appreciating it,” said Carolyn Booker.

Cover photo: Michael Frank, PHS; Carolyn Booker, Tioga Garden volunteer; Pela McFee, Tioga Garden volunteer & Kera Gibbs, PHS (L-R).