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Common Ground Relief History
Common Ground Relief (CGR) was founded on September 5, 2005 by Malik Rahim, Sharon Johnson, and Scott Crow in the aftermath of Katrina.
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Facing Challenges Together
Every evening, we used to have these dialectical discussions, and one of our main discussions was on why progressive movements have always started with such a bang and then end in such a frizzle... Robert King Wilkerson, the only freed member of the Angola Three-said that the thing that we need to find is the common ground, so with that... Common Ground was founded.
Malik Rahim, Founder
Our Story
Common Ground Relief (CGR) was founded on September 5, 2005 by Malik Rahim, Sharon Johnson, and Scott Crow in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Calling themselves “Common Ground Collective”, the group began working in Rahim and Johnson’s neighborhood on the West Bank of New Orleans, while the city remained without power or basic services.
Since its founding in 2005, Common Ground Relief has remained committed to working for environmental and disaster justice.
75+ Families Fed Each Week
Every Hand Helps Us Grow
Over 600 Volunteers in 2023
Uniting Hearts and Actions
5,000+ Native Plants Cultivated
Invest in Our Land - Start in Our Nursery
In Loving Memory of
Thom Peppers
In 2008, Thom Pepper became the director of Common Ground Relief. In the next few years, CGR would help neighbors gut about 3,000 homes in the Lower 9th Ward and work with about 65,000 volunteers.
On November 23rd, we mark the 5-year anniversary of the passing of our former director, Thom Peppers, who lost his battle with cancer. Thom's leadership and dedication to our mission left a lasting impact, and we invite everyone to join us in honoring his memory. Share your love, stories, and happy memories as we come together to celebrate his life and legacy.
Cheers to
25 Years
Over two decades since its inception, Common Ground Relief has continued to work in community and environmental resilience. Each year, Common Ground Relief engages with hundreds of volunteers and students, and works with the State of Louisiana to plant thousands of plugs of marsh grasses and native hardwood trees, restoring over 23 miles of shoreline and 17 acres of forest in 2021 alone. Since its founding in 2005, CGR has worked with thousands of volunteers in community care work and environmental rehabilitation. We believe that hands-on experiences with environmental restoration builds connection with the land to empower life-long stewardship.
Our Mission
Common Ground Relief fosters environmental and community stewardship in Southeast Louisiana so that residents can survive and thrive.
While the mission and organization have evolved, Common Ground Relief remains committed to its grassroots, volunteer-based approach to community transformation and sustainability. By connecting people to nature through land stewardship, wetland restoration, and direct aid efforts, CGR empowers individuals and communities to take action.
Hosting volunteers from around the world and building strong relationships with lifelong New Orleanians and local advocacy groups, we work to create accessible pathways for climate resilience and environmental justice.
Malik Rahim, Sharon Johnson & Dr. Caroline Heldman
CGR works in environmental outreach and education, wetlands restoration, and operates a food pantry from our headquarters in the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans.
Early on in Common Ground’s history, volunteers began engaging in environmental restoration work, from planting marsh grasses to soil remediation. In 2009, Common Ground began operating a native plant nursery, growing plants adapted to the specific conditions in Southeastern Louisiana, such as bald cypress trees, which thrive in warm and flooded ecosystems.
Direct Aid & Land Stewardship
Connecting Organizations to Amplify Impact
Get out of the french quarter and into the wetlands
Swamps are sites of resistance, where history, nature, and imagination converge to empower and inspire action. Through collaboration and gathering, CGR brings together volunteers, community members, and advocates to reclaim autonomy and build climate resilience. We believe everyone brings valuable skills to the table, creating a space where you’re allowed to try, fail, and grow. By connecting communities to the wetlands, we cultivate optimism, agency, and the power to protect our shared environment.
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