One of Barrio Restoration’s holiday wreaths made from an old tire. Proceeds from the $25 wreaths went toward creating 50 goody-filled stockings for local kids for the holidays.

 Courtesy of David Garcia,

Barrio

Restoration

For the last five years, David Garcia of Barrio Restoration has helped beautify Tucson’s south-side neighborhoods.

He organizes community clean-ups and creates vibrant up-cycled planters from used tires to place on south-side streets as a way to invest in the community.

Now, Garcia is taking the used tire concept and creating something new and festive for the holidays β€” tinsel garland-wrapped wreaths made from old tires.

The proceeds from the $25 wreaths help invest in some of the community’s most important members: kids.Β Garcia plans to fill 50 stockings with candies, small gifts and gift cardsΒ for local south-side kids.

Leftover funds will go toward items needed for the Barrio Christmas event held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 16 at La Mariposa Park, 301 E. Aviation Dr. That includes hot cocoa and items for β€œreindeer games,” according to Garcia. The event, hosted by Barrio Restoration and the Fairgrounds Neighborhood, is where the kiddos will receive a goody-filled stocking.

David Garcia, founder of Barrio Restoration, poses with one of the holiday wreaths he helped create out of an old tire.

β€œI'm not a big person of asking for money,” Garcia says. β€œI'd rather work for it and give something in return. So, everything we do is with a purpose. Our planters are made from tires and now we've created a new product, which has been kind of sitting on the backlogs while we were figuring out how we’re going to execute it.”

Unsure how to go about creating the wreaths, Garcia turned to his father-in-law who created a prototype just last week using leftover tire scraps from the barrio planters. The tire was wrapped in shiny tinsel garland and adorned with holiday decorations.

The following day they made 10 wreaths and have made 20 total so far, with more on the way.

β€œThe goal was 10, but we ended up selling 20,” Garcia says. β€œI think it was a hit, man. I can't believe every time we made one, it was sold. And people are still asking so, (how many more we make) it’s gonna depend on how many orders we get this week. But I think we're going to use this week to make the last of our wreaths for the (event on the) 16th.”

To order one of Barrio Restoration’s tire wreaths, contact them through their social media pages or give them a call at 520-443-1187. They accept cash and payments through services like Venmo, Zelle and Cash App.

A holiday wreath in the making. Barrio Restoration’s holiday wreaths are created from old tires and adorned with tinsel garland and holiday decor. It takes around 30 minutes to make one wreath.

Garcia also hopes to create other types of wreaths for the rest of the year, like designs for Easter and teams in the NFL. As for the holiday wreaths, Garcia wants to make them an annual tradition.

He’s planning to get a jump start on wreath-making next year and hopes to make at least 100. He’d also love to see the City of Tucson take an interest in the wreaths, hoping they might purchase some next year to place along Sixth Avenue.

β€œWe're thinking next year, we're gonna knock out 100 wreaths and see those proceeds go to more clean-ups, more fiestas, more things for the kids and so forth,” Garcia says.

Garcia, who is originally from Douglas but has lived in Tucson for over 20 years, founded Barrio Restoration five years ago as a way to strengthen (and beautify) Tucson’s south-side communities.

β€œOur mission is to clean up the streets and create safer, cleaner, respectable neighborhoods while trying to encourage neighbors to be neighborly and build some relationships,” Garcia says.Β β€œAnd encourage or inspire folks to take ownership of our neighborhood and start investing in our neighborhood, so teaching that this neighborhood belongs to us and it's up to us to create a neighborhood that we deserve.

β€œThe city is responsible for so many things. However, having (a safe, clean and respectable) neighborhood, we could have it tomorrow if we just all work together. That's how powerful it is.”

In addition to landscaping work, Barrio Restoration also hosts numerous community-focused events throughout the year including clean-up days, food drives, fiestas, planter-making workshops and more.

β€œWe're kind of rising along Tucson Clean and Beautiful in a way, where we're trying to be a resource for the neighborhood when it comes to assistance with an area in your hood,” Garcia says. β€œSay you want to plant some stuff. Say you want a neighborhood clean-up, we want to be that resource that is well-known that we're here to help.”

For more information about Barrio Restoration and their holiday tire wreaths, check out their website and Instagram page.

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