Blighted lots,
in bloom.
We plant free community sunflower fields on vacant Muncie Land Bank parcels. Tilled by the land bank. Planted by local youth. Cut by anyone with scissors.
Four things, in order, every summer.
MLB picks the lot.
The Muncie Land Bank flags a parcel they'd rather not mow. We walk it, confirm the sun.
Till and plant.
Land bank covers one tilling pass. A local youth group plants Mammoth Grey Stripe the same afternoon.
It blooms.
A small sign goes up. "Cut what you want. Bring scissors." The lot does the rest.
It's done.
Stalks chopped in one pass. The lot returns to the land bank looking cared for, not abandoned.
We'll plant it for you.
Most of our lots come through the Muncie Land Bank. We also welcome applications from private property owners — homeowners, churches, small businesses — who'd rather see their vacant lot in bloom than mow it all summer.
The model is the same as the Land Bank pattern. We till once, plant with a youth group in May, put a small sign up in August, and mow it all down in October. The lot returns to your normal maintenance cycle looking cared for, not abandoned.
- No cost to you. We cover seed, signage, and the youth-group day. You keep paying property taxes as usual.
- One requirement. The lot needs about six hours of direct sun. We'll walk it with you to confirm before committing.
- One season. The license runs spring through October. Renew the next year if you want; either of us can step out.
- You're protected. We carry general liability insurance and name you as additional insured for the season.
Where it's blooming right now.
Three ways to help this summer.
Youth groups.
4-H clubs, scout troops, church youth groups. A single Saturday afternoon, seeds and instruction provided.
Neighbors.
When the signs go up, come cut. Bring scissors and take as many as you can carry. Tag @pocketsofsunshine if you want.
Join the board.
We're forming the founding board right now. Three seats open: Treasurer, Partnerships, and Community Outreach.
Sponsor a lot. $25 covers 4,000 square feet of seed.
Mammoth Grey Stripe seed for a 4,000 sq ft parcel. Your name on the sign, if you want it.
Enough seed for the whole 2026 pilot, plus signage and mileage. The sweet spot.
Sponsors seed for a full year and underwrites the youth-group kit. Listed as a founding donor.
We are small, on purpose.
Pockets of Sunshine started as a walk past a vacant lot in Muncie, Indiana. The lot had been empty for four years. In four years of mowing, no one had ever stopped to look at it.
The idea is simple: partner with the Muncie Land Bank to plant sunflowers on parcels they'd otherwise just mow. The land bank picks the lot and covers the tilling. A local youth group plants in May. In August, a small sign goes up and neighbors come cut what they want. We also welcome applications from private property owners who'd rather see their vacant lot in bloom than mow it all summer — same model, same season.
We are not a land-use org. We are not a youth org. We are not an environmental org. We are a seasonal neighborhood gift — a replicable, low-burden model that three other land banks can copy next year.
For press inquiries, reach us at press@pocketsofsunshine.org.