The annual Volunteer Challenge, coordinated by the Volunteer Center of the Lehigh Valley, is the largest corporate-driven effort to benefit local nonprofits in the Lehigh Valley, helping to mobilize talent and resources to make a difference in our community.
The Isett team returns to The Salvation Army Allentown Corps each year to refresh and enhance the courtyard garden at the Hospitality House, a space the team designed and created nearly a decade ago. Salvation Army’s Hospitality House provides food and emergency housing to women and children in need, offering hope and refuge when people need it most.
Isett’s 2025 project continued the transformation of the garden into a vibrant, sustainable space by removing weeds, debris, and invasive plants, and adding new perennials and everbearing fruit that will come back stronger each year. Isett’s Landscape Architecture department helped with a strategic planting plan to maximize output and usable space. The goal was to provide the Salvation Army with fresh produce to grow throughout the summer, add an educational and life skills component for children, and create a sustainable habitat in the area surrounding the garden.
We extended the walking path, replaced cracked pavers, and planted new vegetables and flowers, including beans and peas along the rear fence. A new native pollinator garden was established near the parking lot to increase native biodiversity and support youth education. We increased the variety of herbs, tomatoes, and peppers for daily kitchen use. Team members toured the planted garden with the Salvation Army’s chef to explain what we planted and how each plant can be best used in the kitchen. Additionally, we installed a rain barrel for water conservation and ease of use, re-installed the drip irrigation system, and created a simple care guide for residents and children to learn how to grow and care for their own food throughout the growing season.
Volunteers from team Isett included Bryan Smith (Landscape Architecture), Andrea Martin and Layla Denissen (Municipal Engineering Services), Chuck Wolf (Code Inspection & Plan Review), Chad Tyrell (Accounting), and Brandon Trate and Mike Keller (Marketing & Client Development).
To find out how you or your organization can help The Salvation Army in their mission to help the community, visit here.
Support our project on the voting page and visit here to cast your votes. Each vote raises $1 for the Volunteer Center of the Lehigh Valley.