Em Plotkin, Leah McCarthy, and Kenzie Ballard, the co-directors of Groundwork Somerville at South Street Farm. — Photos by Mina Rose Morales

By Mina Rose Morales

In the corner of a narrow alley, industrial buildings, busy streets, and graffiti walls surround an urban farm, and down the street sits a community garden – both parts of Groundwork Somerville.

Not far, about a 14-minute walk away, resides their office in Union Square, minutes away near where the original American Tube Works Factory once stood. The company was an industrial pioneer, as it was the first in the U.S. to manufacture seamless brass and copper tubes, bringing about industrial change across the country and triggering the city’s industrial revolution.

It is there, surrounded by buildings and busy streets, where the organization’s three directors strategize how to create a greener Somerville. Their mission: “To build the next generation of environmental leaders to create a healthier, equitable, and climate-resilient Somerville.”

Kenzie Ballard leads Groundwork’s climate resilience programs. She helps Somerville residents understand how climate change affects neighborhoods in Somerville disproportionately and guides them to decide how to address the climate effects they’re experiencing.

“That can look like planting new trees, building new community gardens, [and] taking local climate data,” Ballard said.

Like many, after college, Ballard went on a quest to dig up her professional calling.

“I remember I hadn’t sat on dirt … it was always a picnic blanket … until my early twenties,” Ballard said.

After working on a farm in Louisville, Kentucky, she grew a connection to the land and grew as a person. She found her way to Somerville, Massachusetts.

A community member’s garden bed.

Em Plotkin leads the organization’s youth program, which empowers local teenagers to become the city’s next generation of climate and social justice leaders, mainly through paid employment opportunities for teens and urban farming.

“I grew up in the dirt,” Plotkin said.

Before joining Groundwork, Plotkin grew up camping and going on canoe trips. Eventually, they organized youth wilderness trips. Many of the families Plotkin served could afford “fancy” summer camps. As a result, Plotkin shifted focus to helping marginalized youth have access to green spaces and urban agricultural initiatives. This led them to Groundwork Somerville.

Leah McCarthy manages the nonprofit’s urban agricultural program, cultivating hands-on farming opportunities at South Street Farm. As of 2011, South Street Farm is Somerville’s first urban farm. It provides the community with about 2,000 pounds of free organic produce, according to McCarthy.

Prior to her work in Somerville, she had volunteered on farms back in Montreal. Upon arriving in Boston, McCarthy continued volunteering with different urban agricultural programs and other farms.

“I loved working with my hands,” McCarthy recalled. “I think I realized that I absolutely had to do that, and I loved being outside and I loved growing food.” When she applied to Groundwork Somerville, she remembered seeing the words, “Our food holds our story,” on one of their murals, a statement she said spoke volumes.

One highlight of the organization that McCarthy is most proud of is the community garden program. The team worked with community members, gathering some changes they hoped to see in Somerville. The community wanted more space to grow its own food. Upon request, Groundwork established 13 new community garden plots at their South Street Community Garden in 2025.

Ballard is proud of their urban forestry program. This year, youth participants planted 32 trees, 18 of them at the Mystic Apartments. Besides trees, they planted garden beds that provide their families with produce.

Jade Faria sings at Groundwork Somerville’s Harvest Festival.

Groundwork Somerville also hosts many community events, like their Harvest Festival, an annual, free community celebration. This year’s festival featured eco-printing, herbal balms, and fermentation workshops. Surrounded by live music, the public also participated in mural painting.

“We’ll be planting at least 25 trees around East Somerville in late October,” said Plotkin.

In the future, they plan on planting more produce, more plants, and more trees. They’re on a mission for a greener Somerville.