Ricardo Martino
Favorite Spot: Las Parcelas Garden in Norris Square.
Neighborhood: The gardens are located in the Norris Square community in West Kensington. An area rich in history and culture.
Address: The garden is located on Palethorpe street between Susquehanna and York streets. 2240 Palethorp St.

I am: I am currently the after school enrichment coordinator at Edison High school. I have been working for the last 17 years to empower youth to find their own direction. We do learning projects, create presentations and offer students a chance to explore opportunities outside their own possibilities (i.e. taking city youth on an outdoor camping trip)
Years in Philly: I have spent all my life in Philadelphia, going from Fairmount to North Philadelphia and now to the Northeast.

Current home: The Rhawnhurst section of Northeast Philadelphia.

My love note: Las Parcelas Gardens is an active gathering place for the Norris Square community and beyond. The garden was initiated by two activist Hispanic women combatting crime and drugs in the city. Both Tomasita Romero and Iris Brown have faced these challenges head on to transform the entire neighborhood. Overseen by the Norris Square Neighborhood Project and supported by the PA Horticulture Society and their urban greening projects, the space provides a green space for neighbors to grow their own vegetables. Las Parcelas literally means parcels of land. 

The garden/farm has an outdoors cook-stove, a spitfire roasting pit and a replica of a rural Puerto Rican wooden house circa 1940 with museum-like pieces inside. I was staff and then a board member of NSNP. I have been to many celebrations and service projects in the gardens. Even though I am no longer directly involved I go back every chance I get.