If you were told you could buy a plot of land for $1, what would you build?
Marcellis Counts, a multi-generational Newark resident, saw opportunity where others saw challenge. Through Newark’s Adopt-a-Lot program, he’s transforming vacant lots into thriving urban apiaries that bring bees, green spaces, and healing to communities impacted by environmental injustice.
His company, Apiary in the Sky, goes beyond honey production by:
🐝Converting debris-filled lots into productive green spaces
🐝Running workshops on sustainability
🐝Creating what he says are “sacred and safe spaces” for community healing
🐝Conserving Russian, Italian, and Carniolan honey bees (Apis Mellifera) populations (Fun fact: 35% of our food depends on them! And they are the only known insect to produce an edible food humans can consume!)
When he joined our Founder Forward Sprint Series, Marcellis was struggling with the vastness of the problem he was trying to solve. He didn’t want to let his community down.
Our $5,000 unrestricted grant helped him pay down debt, purchase new equipment, and invest in expanding his product line beyond honey.
Today, his bees feast on herbs like thyme and basil, while he builds community and transforms Newark’s South Ward one lot at a time.
