Tire Park of Hope

Project Details

Our organization is called Nuestras Raíces Inc. which in English means “Our Roots". Our organization has been promoting agriculture and food justice for 23 years. Our mission is to create healthy environments, celebrate “agri-culture,” harness our collective energy, and to advance our vision of a just and sustainable future. We are located in an inner city called Holyoke, MA. This city was once the most prosperous and industrial city in Massachusetts. Now it has become the poorest city in Massachusetts with pregnancy and crime rates at an all time high. Last year we lost a few of our youth leaders to the dangerous gangs that have taken over many sections of our city. We since then, have been trying to increase our efforts in protecting our youth! One of the steps that we are taking to reach the goal previously mentioned is to create a Tire Park at our 30 acre farm site! We have very few parks in the city of Holyoke and the parks that we do have are surrounded by dangerous gangs and drug infested areas.  This year alone we had 10 cases, in which children stepped on contaminated syringes. Our farm site is far away from these gang and drug sites, which acts as the best location for a park in Holyoke, Ma.  The park within our farm will keep our residents safe and act as a safe hub for family gatherings. With your help we can drastically and positively impact the lives of the residents within our community.