Weather permitting, Mrs. Mary Rias can be found on her “front porch,” a small slab of concrete in front of her townhouse apartment, sitting in a worn lawn chair supervising the children playing in front. If not on her front porch, she often can be found in her kitchen preparing meals, not only for her family, but for her neighbors as well. Her apartment is located next to the abundant community garden that she coordinated and worked in for over a decade. For Mrs. Rias, the distinction between the space and activities of her home and those of her development blur. Her caretaking and nurturing roles in the private space of her home spill outside her doors into the community, and often the needs of community members are met within her home.

A mother of five children and grandmother of nine grandchildren, Mrs. Rias moved into Wentworth on November 13, 1965, with her husband and three children. She remembers the exact date of that move because, in her own words, “I was so glad to get here.