30 years, 750,000 bushes, and counting…
Mates of Bushes was based in 1989 by a group member who cherished bushes and began planting them in Portland neighborhoods. Immediately, Mates of Bushes has planted 750,000 bushes and is a nationally acknowledged, regional chief in bettering the city tree cover and restoring delicate pure areas—via packages delivered by hundreds of volunteers.
On Saturday, December 1, 2018 a bunch of Bullseye Glass staff joined in a Mates of Bushes occasion, planting bushes all through the Brooklyn neighborhood in Southeast Portland.
In complete, greater than 200 volunteers got here out to plant bushes and inexperienced neighborhoods all all through Portland. Bullseye staff have been concerned with Mates of Bushes individually up to now, however this was the primary yr a bunch of us volunteered.
Tentative take-home: volunteering with Mates of Bushes is as stress-free as… an Epsom salt bathtub? Intriguing…
“This was my first (however not final!) time volunteering with Mates of Bushes. They have been tremendous organized and actually incredible at coaching up our beginner tree planting staff.
By the top of our stint we planted seven bushes and have been working like a well-oiled machine. Barely associated – Epsom salt baths are the very best!” -Minna Shirley, Bullseye Glass Gross sales
In case greening town wasn’t reward sufficient, volunteers have been met with soup, pizza, donuts, and a pristine likelihood to get muddy.
“This was my first occasion with Mates of Bushes and I’ll undoubtedly do it once more. I cherished the truth that I used to be in a position to give again to the group that I reside in and I realized quite a bit about planting bushes. I wasn’t conscious of issues like tree orientation and the depth the opening wanted to be relying on what sort of tree your making an attempt to plant. I bought plenty of actually good info and I had a good time getting muddy. Bonus, we had some yummy soup, pizza, donuts, and I met lots of people!” -Justin Chapman, Bullseye Glass Melter
We spoke with Mary Kay Nitchie, advertising supervisor, whose involvement in Mates of Bushes resulted from her husband’s lengthy involvement as a volunteer with the non-profit:
This group is about greater than planting bushes—it’s about neighbors assembly one another in actual life and dealing collectively to construct group whereas bettering the setting in our metropolis neighborhoods.
I’m very grateful that Bullseye Glass loaned Mates of Bushes their truck, and our driver Tara Cavanagh, as a result of vans are crucial to the success of the planting. And I’m very appreciative of the participation of our different Bullseye Crew members, Minna Shirley, Justin Chapman, and Corinna Horsell and her household—Paul, Delia, and Hazel Mae. You’ll be able to see extra pictures of them at https://www.flickr.com/pictures/nitchwick/albums/72157704244318315
Winter is the season for planting, so there’s a group planting day nearly each weekend till mid-February. To be taught extra about volunteer alternatives with Mates of Bushes, go to https://friendsoftrees.org/