Troostwood Pocket Park Open House Brings Neighbors Together Through NRF Support

This fall, the Troostwood Neighborhood Association welcomed neighbors, donors, and community partners to an Open House at the Troostwood Pocket Park—celebrating a year of steady improvements supported by the Neighborhoods Rising Fund.

Thanks to the Community Capital Fund’s Neighborhoods Rising Fund (NRF), the Troostwood Neighborhood Association (TNA) has been able to create more opportunities for neighbors to connect and engage. NRF support helps provide food, drinks, and music at quarterly meetings, block parties, and activities at the Troostwood Pocket Park.

The association owns the pocket park—two parcels of land at 49th Street and Troost—though the space historically saw limited use. A 2024 NRF grant funded pruning trees, removing invasive species, and adding native plantings. That work was matched by the Missouri Department of Conservation, which created a landscape plan and added additional native plants, trees, and shrubs.

In May, neighbors gathered for planting days supported by the 2025 NRF grant, which also provided pastries from Blackhole Bakery and lunch from You Say Tomato for volunteers.

Troostwood added another new amenity in July: a Little Free Library built and installed by neighbor J. Paul Raymond, with NRF support. The library features books on native landscaping along with a selection of children’s titles.

The improvements continued into early fall. In September, TNA hosted an Open House at the park to welcome neighbors and donors, offering crafts such as rock painting and encouraging visitors to take or leave a book at the Little Free Library. Short talks from neighbors covered careers in horticulture, strategies for removing invasive bush honeysuckle, and tips for promoting healthy habitats for birds, wildlife, and people. Blackhole Bakery supplied coffee and mochi donuts with support from the NRF.

With continued community involvement and support from the Neighborhoods Rising Fund, the Troostwood Pocket Park is becoming an active, welcoming green space that brings neighbors together.