Ruppert Landscape volunteers donated materials and labor Friday to help to restore the grounds and a community garden at the Long Branch Community Recreation Center and Senior Center at 8700 Piney Branch Rd.
The donation included about $30,000 in landscaping materials, including more than 125 perennials, shrubs, mulch and edging and 160 labor hours.
The workers from the Silver Spring and Washington offices mowed turf, removed dead and aging plant material, pruned existing trees and shrubs, and reframed and prepped the community garden areas.
“When we look for community service projects, we are looking for a project where we can utilize our landscaping skills and company resources to better our community,” Ruppert Landscape CEO Craig Ruppert said in a press release. “This project came to us through one of our employees who has a friend who works as the division chief for Montgomery County Recreation and brought the opportunity to us seeking our partnership.
“We also have many customers we provide service to in this area and 50 employees who live within the community that’s serviced by this center,” Ruppert added. “Our decision to get involved made sense on so many levels as it helps us our community, our customers, and our employees.”
The center had been closed since the start of the pandemic, serving as a shelter for homeless people. Once the new Nebel Street shelter opened in March, work began on interior renovations to the center.
The Long Branch center is scheduled to reopen on Monday, May 16.
Montgomery County Recreation Department photo via Twitter
A great day with @MoCoRec and Ruppert Landscape – getting the Long Branch Community Recreation and Senior Center ready for reopening! pic.twitter.com/D4GiSyGN6G
— Montgomery County MD (@MontgomeryCoMD) May 13, 2022