There are an enormous number of empty tree wells in Manchester. There are currently 17 empty tree wells on Hull Street alone. And given the persistent efforts of Sam McDonald who convinced the City to cut out tree wells during its recent sidewalk repairs, 9 new tree wells have been added. That’s a total of 26 tree wells that sit empty…and that’s just one street! And unfortunately, the City has no plans to fill the empty tree wells. Ugh.

Well, rather than complaining, we are going to do something about it! We are proud to announce that we have coordinated a monetary donation and a group of volunteers who are going to get this problem solved. But it is not as simple as planting a few trees. This is a a multi-year commitment.

First, we are going to fill out all the City paperwork to get approval to donate, plant, and maintain the trees on behalf of the City. Live Well Financial has agreed to donate $10,000 toward the trees, treegators, a mobile watering cart, a truck mounted watering tank, and food/drinks for its employee volunteer tree brigade! The employees of Live Well Financial have volunteered to plant the trees as a show of support for the Manchester RVA community on Saturday April 2nd, starting at 9 AM. Anderson’s Neck Oyster Company and its team have agreed to donate their delivery truck to pick up the trees from the nursery and deliver the trees to the planting brigade. The employees of Live Well Financial, Anderson’s Neck Oyster Company, & The Bankuet Place have also volunteered to fill a rotational schedule for the next two years to keep the treegators filled with water on a weekly basis during the growing season.



If you are as excited about this project as we are, you might want to contribute. Want to know what you can do to help? Here’s how!

Donate Funds : If you or your company are willing to donate funds to increase the scope of the project, we will buy more trees and fill as many of the empty wells on other streets in Manchester such as Bainbridge, Porter, Perry, McDonough, etc. Please make your check payable to: “The Bankuet Place”, write “Tree Donation” on the memo line, & mail to: The Bankuet Place, 1129 Hull Street, Richmond, VA 23224

: If you or your company are willing to donate funds to increase the scope of the project, we will buy more trees and fill as many of the empty wells on other streets in Manchester such as Bainbridge, Porter, Perry, McDonough, etc. Please make your check payable to: “The Bankuet Place”, write “Tree Donation” on the memo line, & mail to: The Bankuet Place, 1129 Hull Street, Richmond, VA 23224 Volunteer for the Planting Brigade & help us plant the trees on April 2nd! We need all the able bodies we can get to dig holes, plant the trees, and get them watered! If you, or your company would like to volunteer, Contact Us and let us know the number of people who will attend, and if you can bring shovels. Please note: Volunteers are required to donate $20/person in advance if they would like to have catered food/drinks supplied (see directions above for where to mail your check).* Base Camp for the planting on Saturday, April 2nd will be at the parking lot directly behind The Bankuet Place. The Bankuet Place is located at 1129 Hull Street, Richmond, VA 23224. The address for the parking lot is 1124 Bainbridge St, Richmond, VA 23224. We will set up tables for food and drinks in the parking lot, if the weather is nice. Otherwise, we will set up the food and tables inside. This is a rain or shine event.

We need all the able bodies we can get to dig holes, plant the trees, and get them watered! If you, or your company would like to volunteer, Contact Us and let us know the number of people who will attend, and if you can bring shovels. Please note: Volunteers are required to donate $20/person in advance if they would like to have catered food/drinks supplied (see directions above for where to mail your check).* Base Camp for the planting on Saturday, April 2nd will be at the parking lot directly behind The Bankuet Place. The Bankuet Place is located at 1129 Hull Street, Richmond, VA 23224. The address for the parking lot is 1124 Bainbridge St, Richmond, VA 23224. We will set up tables for food and drinks in the parking lot, if the weather is nice. Otherwise, we will set up the food and tables inside. This is a rain or shine event. Lend a Shovel for the Planting! Contact Us and let us know how many shovels you can lend to the effort. Shovels will be stored at The Bankuet Place for you to coordinate pick up after the event is over, or at a later time.

Contact Us and let us know how many shovels you can lend to the effort. Shovels will be stored at The Bankuet Place for you to coordinate pick up after the event is over, or at a later time. Sign Up for the Bucket Brigade! We need tree waterers to help us keep the trees watered every week during the growing season for the next two years! If you or your company are willing to take responsibility for a weekly slot (or several) on our rotational schedule, please Contact Us and we will coordinate details.



Thanks for everyone’s support and we hope more will join us in this community effort! Now, let’s go plant some trees!

*Please note: Funds for catered food cannot be refunded as it will have been used to purchase the catered food in advance.

Image Credit to the Arbor Day Foundation.