Bountiful Harvests In the Heart of Newark, New Jersey ...
... Are you sure you took the right exit off the Parkway?
We're sure. And, in addition to bees, there were chickens, loose and running all over the place at 9 AM in the morning. We actually took Amtrak and the longest 1.5 mile cab ride in the history of time. But board member Marsha McLaughlin and I finally did make it to the Greater Newark Conservancy on August the 29th to learn more about that organization's work.
The Conservancy believes that the future holds a greener Newark, where vacant lots are replaced by community gardens and city streets are lined with flower barrels. They envision a skyline dotted with solar collectors, wind farms and green roofs similar to those they have constructed on their property. It is a bold vision that the organization is slowly making a reality and, in the process, serving the diverse needs of community members for healthy food, pocket parks, job training, and fellowship.
Image: Greater Newark Conservancy citybloom.org
While the demographics and the geography of the urban part of Baltimore County that NeighborSpace serves are, in many ways, a stark contrast to the landscape in Newark, we share some of the same challenges when it comes to high numbers of people being food insecure, many people struggling to find living wage jobs, and large numbers of disconnected youth. Few people in our county know that across the nation, food insecurity in suburbs grew by 65 percent between 2002 and 2012. Over 13% of Baltimore County's population is food insecure, meaning that they have limited or uncertain ability to acquire acceptable foods, typically because other expenses for shelter, transportation and health care have to be paid first.
Another surprising statistic for many people is that Baltimore County has the third highest number of disconnected youth in the state, trailing only Baltimore City and Prince George's County. Youth aged 16 to 24 are deemed "disconnected" when they leave school before graduating and "disconnect" from the labor force. There are 11,735 youth who fall into this category in Baltimore County.
The Greater Newark Conservancy has made a name for itself in acquiring land for community gardens, developing programs to teach local residents how to grow healthy food, and engaging youth in entrepreneurial ventures to make and sell products derived from food that they help to grow. They are among several organizations we will learn from over the next year as we explore how to take land we may acquire in the future and use it to work in partnership with other nonprofits to address the foregoing problems of food insecurity and discconnected youth in Baltimore County.
Live Music and Ribbon Cutting at Graystone 7/28/26 | Will Kaselow, Community Conservation Manager
7/28/26 | Will Kaselow, Community Conservation Manager Thank you to everyone who came out to NeighborSpace’s final concert of the summer! After the original date was cancelled due to wildfire-related air pollution, we were able to quickly reschedule and ended up lucking into one of the most beautiful nights of the summer so far. We […]
7/29/2026 | Phyllis Joris, Executive Director Like many nonprofits, NeighborSpace operates on a fiscal year that runs July through June. This month, NeighborSpace staff and board members took stock of progress made in the past year and drafted a work plan for the coming year. More details will be provided in NeighborSpace’s Annual Report, which […]
Thanks to donations from generous supporters like you, NeighborSpace was able to hire three interns this summer. We want to help young conservationists gain fieldwork and behind-the-scenes experience, and staff is grateful for the extra hands and minds! We introduced you to our stewardship interns last month.Now read on to meet our communications intern, Mykiah. […]
Barbara Waters While I grew up in Massachusetts and then spent 6 years in Northern Maine, I have now lived in Maryland for nearly 32 years. I had been involved in many things in the community, but that involvement really ramped up once the pandemic started. To combat isolation, I started walking daily, and have […]
Thanks to donations from generous supporters like you, NeighborSpace was able to hire three interns this summer. We want to help young conservationists gain fieldwork and behind-the-scenes experience, and staff is grateful for the extra hands and minds! Read on to meet our two stewardship interns, Ashley and Katie. Hi! I am Ashley Metzbower. I […]
6/29/26 | Will Kaselow, Community Conservation Manager This month we welcomed the summer with song, hosting live music events at two of our sites! First, Patrick Alban and his Buena Vista Social Club joined us at Ridgely Manor Park in Towson on one of the hottest nights of the year so far. Despite the heat, […]
6/29/26 | Conor Harrington, Land Steward This spring, NeighborSpace installed its first microforest/Miyawaki plantings at Tollgate Wyndham Preserve in Owings Mills. With the help of some very dedicated volunteer groups from BGE and Stanley Black & Decker, we planted about 150 trees and shrubs in three contained locations of the preserve. The area covered by […]
6/29/2026 | Phyllis Joris, Executive Director NeighborSpace recently added a new site to its portfolio! With the addition of Stonegate, a beautiful 16-acre property in Catonsville, NeighborSpace now protects 116 acres across 22 sites for current and future residents of urban Baltimore County. This property is co-held with Maryland Environmental Trust (MET), the state’s land […]
This month we would like to thank Christie Bianco for her time and dedication as a NeighborSpace volunteer! Christie has lived in the Dunmore community for 21 years and first connected with Levickas Woods through her children, who would play in the woods and catch crayfish in the stream. She considers the woods to be […]
