On April 22nd, families living in a transitional housing facility in Queens, NY celebrated Earth Day and the launch of a new collaborative project between the Cornell Action Research Collaborative (ARC), Cornell University Cooperative Extension-New York City (CUCE-NYC), and Harvest New York.
Under the leadership of Kwesi Joseph, an Urban Agricultural Specialist with Harvest New York, children planted 70 seedlings into beds at the housing facility and learned about gardening. Enthusiasm grew as children realized that this was their garden, invoking a sense of pride and ownership.
Building the garden began in 2022, after BZB Wellness received the Citizens NYC: 2022 All in Neighborhood Grant. Led by Bilqis Benu, the housing facility built a shed, and purchased gardening tools and soil for the garden.
The community garden is just one component of a new project that aims to improve nutrition and overall well-being for families living in center. The broader project consists of offering families living in the transitional housing residence the 8-week Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP), cooking experience as they prepare a dinner meal each week, along with hands on experiential learning in the newly planted garden. This project is led by Dr. Tashara M. Leak, Assistant Professor and Co-Director of ARC, who received an Engaged Research Seed Grant from Cornell Human Ecology (CHE).
The EFNEP workshops are led by CUCE-NYC community educators and introduce healthy, and affordable recipes to participants. Workshops are delivered in both Spanish and English.
“We connect whatever produce we have in the garden to the nutrition lesson. When the garden grows, they can incorporate fresh herbs and plants into any dish we are creating in the nutrition class,” says Olimpia Fis, a Supervising Community Educator and CUCE-NYC. “They don’t have to go to the supermarket, they can grow it right there. It’s a great way to save money.”
Joseph says most of the plants will offer consumable produce within just two months. Then, families can rely on the garden for popular vegetables such as tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce varieties, and fresh herbs including cilantro and green onions. The produce from the community garden will be available to all the center’s residents.
The garden launch also offered an opportunity for families to make the center feel like home as they continue to look for permanent housing. During the celebration, each family received an herb or vegetable to grow indoors and take with them once they find permanent housing.