Soroptimist Grove at Benicia Community Park has expanded with ten new trees on November 15. The trees were planted by 23 volunteers organized by the Benicia Tree Foundation and Benicians Adopting Benicia.
Alison Fleck, President of the Benicia Tree Foundation, and Libbey McKendry, President of Soroptimist International of Benicia welcomed the volunteers who arrived at 9AM. City of Benicia staff, led by Zack Ioakimedes, demonstrated to the volunteers how to plant a tree. By noon, all the trees were planted and about ten yards of wood chip mulch were spread throughout the grove to reduce weeds and help the soil retain moisture.
Soroptimist Grove was established in 2010 as a community project of Soroptimist International of Benicia, the local group of a global volunteer organization that provides women and girls with access to the education and training they need to achieve economic empowerment. McKendry designed the expansion project which used all native oak species; Coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia), Blue oak (Q. douglasii) and Valley oak (Q. lobata). The trees were donated by the City of Benicia.
