Community Spotlight: Margaret Marcy Emerso

Photo credit: Nancy Treuber

Welcome (back) to the Maple Street Community Garden’s Community Spotlight Series!

After a brief hiatus, we’re excited to revive this series and highlight the incredible people who help make MSCG what it is—vibrant, purposeful, and deeply rooted in community.

Meet Margaret Marcy Emerson (she/her):

A Saturday shift leader and a dedicated member of the Compost Committee, Margaret is one of the driving forces behind the garden’s sustainability efforts.

Margaret first came to Maple Street looking for a way to take real, tangible action against climate change. A woman of action (and sturdy footwear), she joined the Compost Committee and got to work. “My first job was the weekly turning the compost bins with the cork-screw aerator tool,” Margaret reminisced.

By June 2018, she was a regular on the Saturday schedule. Now a shift leader, Margaret welcomes neighbors, guides volunteers, and helps spread compost knowledge each shift.

After years of service, her appreciation for the garden and the people in it runs deep. “The wonderful people I have met in the garden who make caring for the earth and the community they live in a priority has inspired me and given me hope and joy for the future,” Margaret said. 

That same spirit of hands-on collaboration and care shows up in her creative life, too.

Margaret is also a quilt maker. In 2023, she worked with neighbor Deborah Mutnik to lead a community workshop on urban sustainability. Participants each contributed a quilt block addressing environmental issues. While not directly sponsored by MSCG, the project echoed the values of the engaged, creative community the garden fosters.

Over time, Margaret has watched the space evolve. “From the increased number of committed volunteers, the beautiful herbs and vegetables being grown, to the design of the garden beds and the workshops being run—there is room for everyone…”

Thank you, Margaret, for your commitment, creativity, and care. MSCG is better because of volunteers like you.

Jess Frost + Nancy Treuber 

MSCG Communication Committee