When times are tough and the challenges we face feel overwhelming, it helps to remember that every one of us has the power to make a difference – both large and small – for the people around us.

And as a community, our potential to make change collectively is even greater.

That’s what we saw firsthand last month as members of the Solid Ground community gathered at sites across Seattle to build a stronger, more joyful community for our neighbors through our Day of Service. For the second year in a row, hundreds of people signed up to take time out of their Friday to clean up and improve parks, weed and harvest vegetable patches, and freshen up the fleet of paratransit buses we use to make sure everyone in Seattle is able to get where they need to go, regardless of their health or mobility. 

Dozens of families, individuals, and corporate groups spent a sunny  morning building connections and community at three Solid Ground sites: 

• Our Giving Garden at Marra Farm, where Solid Ground grows produce for the South Park community and teaches local children about food systems. 

• Solid Ground Transportation’s bus yard, where we store, maintain, and dispatch our fleet of ACCESS buses.  

• Magnuson Park, where Solid Ground’s Sand Point Housing provides a stable home and ongoing support for hundreds of individuals and families moving beyond homelessness.  

In all, volunteers harvested more than 200 pounds of produce, cleaned 27 buses, and spread countless wheelbarrow loads of mulch! 

All photos by Rachael Green and Margaret Su