LCSC Transfers Community Garden to Friends of Madison Park

By Alyse Lamparyk

An agreement between two Lakewood nonprofit organizations has ensured a prominent local community garden will continue to bloom for years to come.

Friends of Madison Park (FOMP) recently assumed leadership of this Madison Park community garden following an agreement with Lakewood Community Services Center (LCSC), the originator and longtime caretaker of the space. The 5,000 square foot garden is located between Becks Pool and the futsal courts near the front of Madison Park.

LCSC first established this community garden in 2010 using space provided by the City of Lakewood. Garden materials and staff support were made available to LCSC clients in exchange for their active participation. Each client was asked to donate produce to the Center after taking whatever amount they needed for their own families.

When the Pandemic necessitated that LCSC shift its priorities in order to continue maximizing its ability to provide basic needs assistance to community members, the organization began to seek a new caretaker for the space. LCSC found that in FOMP, a volunteer-led group of neighbors committed to providing ongoing stewardship for Madison Park.

“When we realized that managing the community garden was not going to be possible with our significant COVID-related priorities, our first choice to take over this much-loved project was Friends of Madison Park,” according to LCSC Executive Director Trish Rooney. “They have made such incredible progress in bringing life and light to the park, we knew they would make a great effort to make the garden an even more significant amenity in this community space.”

Since assuming leadership of the garden, FOMP has recruited Lakewood gardeners from all walks of life to oversee plots, while also retaining previous gardeners who wished to remain involved with this project. The park group has strived to prepare the garden – now referred to as the Friends of Madison Park Community Garden – for the 2022 planting season, and FOMP is also exploring ways to continue LCSC’s tradition of donating a portion of produce yield to help those in-need.

“Our park group is grateful to Lakewood Community Services Center, The Lakewood Foundation, and the City of Lakewood for providing us this opportunity to manage this community garden,” said Matt Bixenstine, president of Friends of Madison Park. “We appreciate the unique amenities contained within our park and look forward to using this space to promote healthy lifestyles while building an even stronger park community.”

Madison Park is a 17-acre city park located on the edge of Lakewood’s Historic Birdtown Neighborhood. As the second-largest park and one of the most-visited public spaces in Lakewood, Madison Park offers amenities ranging from a city pool and lighted softball field to playgrounds, picnic pavilions and basketball + futsal courts.

Friends of Madison Park is a volunteer-led group of neighbors committed to providing ongoing stewardship for Madison Park to ensure this public greenspace remains an exceptional asset for our community. Learn more at FriendsofMadisonPark.org.

Lakewood Community Services Center, with its partners, serves the community by providing basic needs assistance and personalized resource and referral services with the goal of empowering each individual to move toward greater self-sufficiency. Learn more at lcsclakewood.org.