On a sunny Sunday morning, volunteers gathered in the 300 block of N. Eighth Street and looked upon the empty easement in the backyards not with disappointment, but with a vision. This was the site of the Love Your Block mini-grant project “Replant and Restore”, led by local residents and neighbors, Lucy Banion and Crystal Newcomb.
In November of 2025, a new sewer line was laid in the adjacent city easement, forcing the removal of around 10 mature trees from this part of the Columbia. Without the trees, the tenants and residents there found themselves lacking shade, privacy, and greenery. Faced with this need, Lucy applied for a Love Your Block grant.
Love Your Block is a grant program supported by the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation and provides funding resident-led neighborhood revitalization projects. The City of Columbia first participated in the Love Your Block program last year, and it has brought many projects to life and inspired many others. With the support of the city, Lucy and Crystal set out to replant the area while accommodating for the new sewer line. And so, on May 17th, we gathered around the new trees, shrubs, and flowers and got to work.
The first task was digging all the holes for the new plants, which ranged from 3-gallons up to 20-gallons! Volunteers ran into gravel, clay, and massive underground roots, but with a little encouragement and a whole lot of elbow grease, each hole was successfully dug.
After a couple hours of hard work, everyone took a break to relax, mingle, and eat a lunch that was very generously prepared by Lucy’s own family! Once everyone was refueled and re-energized, we set our sights on the last remaining tree: a massive 20-gallon American Serviceberry. This serviceberry was so large that you could stand knee-deep in the hole that was dug for it, and Jacob Richardson, the Love Your Block Fellow who had been guiding Lucy and Crystal through the grant process, had brought a hand truck to help wheel the serviceberry. It took a lot of strength and effort to unravel the heavy plant from its burlap sack and place it securely in the ground, but with everyone’s help, the serviceberry proudly took its place.
The difference was immediate and apparent; the space was completely transformed and already benefiting from the shade and privacy the plants brought. Curious birds and rabbits began investigating the new trees, awaiting the potential dens and food sources they would become. But the work did not stop there. With the planting complete, everyone took their time watering and mulching the plants, and two of the smaller trees were caged to help protect them from any hungry critters. Along the way, volunteers migrated towards the front of the house and discovered a hidden sidewalk, covered by dirt and sod, and began to uncover it.
Missouri Conservation Corps was thrilled to be a part of this project by contributing a Roughleaf Dogwood and a Bur Oak, and by bringing as many shovels and tools as we could! Together with neighbors, friends, and family, we were able to bring in a little shade, a bit of nature, and a whole lot of love!
Thank you to Lucy, Crystal, and Jacob, who led this Love Your Block project, and thank you to all the wonderful volunteers whose time and effort brought this project to life. You all really know how to Love Your Block!
