Case Construction Equipment donated the use of an SV280B skid steer to Victory Garden Initiative's 13th Annual Great Milwaukee Victory Garden BLITZ.

Volunteers built 385 garden beds and filled an additional 200 beds with fresh soil all within 29 days.

The Great Milwaukee Victory Garden BLITZ is the nation's largest garden-building event — having installed more than 5,000 gardens across the Greater Milwaukee area. Beginning with a group of friends in 2009 — who installed 35 raised-bed gardens in a single day — Victory Garden Initiative's mission focuses on empowering communities to grow their own food and re-establishing the relationship between human and food ecology.

"With the help of our sponsors and volunteers, we moved around 541 yards of soil during this year's BLITZ," said Lexie Mulhern, Victory Garden Initiative BLITZ Coordinator. "We did four schools, and we went into at least 19 zip codes in the greater Milwaukee area, with a good majority of our total count in the inner city."

"Victory Garden Initiative promotes community-led, sustainable urban farming that improves access to healthy food options at a very local level," said Athena Campos, head of market development, Case Construction Equipment. "Case is committed to building healthy and sustainable communities, and this grassroots program shows the good things that can happen when businesses and volunteers come together to help others."

Subsidized gardens are made possible with a $160 donation or sponsorship. Each raised-bed garden is 4 by 8 ft. and includes a full installation, new soil from local composters, and seeds to begin growing a sustainable garden.

For more information about the Great Milwaukee Victory Garden BLITZ, visit https://victorygardeninitiative.org/services/blitz/.

For more information about Case Construction Equipment, visit www.casece.com.

Volunteers built 385 garden beds and filled an additional 200 beds with fresh soil all within 29 days.