'They took all of our heavy equipment': Community garden has thousands of dollars' worth of tools stolen

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) – Just before its summer kickoff, a local community garden had thousands of dollars' worth of tools stolen from its shed.

"We're going to put more garden beds," Portia Whipps said. "We wanted to get more because we want to be able to give back more to our community [when it comes to] food and healthy items."

Whipps is the program coordinator for HeartLove Place, a faith-based nonprofit that has operated the community garden Peace Park Garden for over a decade. The garden, on the corner of MLK Jr. Drive and Ring Street in the Harambee neighborhood, is a place for the community to gather.

"Even though it's a busy street, you can tune all that out," Whipps said. "We are kind of living in a food desert, where the stores - you cannot find healthy foods that aren't sprayed with pesticides. Here, everything is free."

Last week, Whipps discovered someone had stolen from the community garden.

"Our tool shed was broken into. They took all of our heavy equipment," she said. "It was full of tools. We had our lawnmower. We had our tillers, our trimmers, everything in here and it's all gone."

While the items are crucial, Whipps said the nonprofit is staying positive because their mission has not changed.

"This may be the only meal that some of our families get," she said. "It was very upsetting, but to put it in perspective, things happen. It is not a setback, it's a setup for something great."

While they are still without the tools needed to keep the garden growing, it is full steam ahead. The community garden will have its season kickoff from 9 a.m. to noon on Monday, June 10.

If you are interested in volunteering or donating to HeartLove Place, visit their website or call (414)-372-1550.