Grant helps Kensington teens turn a trash-filled lot into a public garden

The intersection of Shelbourne and Willard Streets is known by neighbors as an illegal dumping corner, where debris, trash, and weeds are part of the scenery.

A $17,000 grant from the pilot program Revive and Thrive could change that, as the teenagers from nonprofit Klean Kensington are set to turn the vacant lot at 859 E. Willard St. into a public park.

In Upper Kensington, the average block has three to four vacant buildings or lots, an Inquirer investigation found. The problem has been identified as a contributing factor to the open-air drug trade.

Since 2022, Klean Kensington has been trying to address the issue by employing local teens to transform trash-filled parcels into community gardens on Madison, Westmoreland, and Hilton Streets, providing food for neighbors, and offering young residents a way to stay occupied.

For Jeremy Chen, the group’s executive director, the Willard Street project is an opportunity to “activate the corner” by creating a garden that neighbors feel is their own while recognizing the community work.

“The teens have been doing this work for a while, but it’s always encouraging to have their work recognized,” Chen said.

The idea is to keep children and youth at the center of the garden, Chen said. Pollinator flowers, benches, bright art, planter boxes, and a durable trash setup are being considered among the features. Klean Kensington will employ 25 teens for the project, and two to three local high school students will be hired as park ambassadors.

Thomas Jefferson University’s Park in a Truck (PIAT) program, Circular Philadelphia, Trash Academy, and Glitter will partner for the program, providing dumping prevention workshops, facilitating the design process, documenting the effectiveness of the project, and aiding in weekly cleanings.

Clean-up activities are expected to start early in the spring. And, community members will gather to decide what they envision for the 16-by-60-foot space owned by Esperanza Health Center.

For Lois Williams, Trash Academy codirector, this initiative is an opportunity to benefit both the city and neighbors in the fight against illegal dumping.

“This project can demonstrate how neighbors with low budgets, on privately owned lots, can make a difference,” Williams said.

Maintaining neighborhoods clean and ending the sprawling drug market have been a focus of Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s administration. Chen hopes this initiative can show City Hall that funding local organizations to do cleaning in their neighborhoods instead of hiring contractors can give them a sense of ownership, preventing dumping recurrence.

“When it’s locals taking care of their community it’s more likely for them to care and to self-monitor so it doesn’t become a dumping ground again,” Chen said.

The garden is scheduled to open in the summer of 2026.