The Problem
Lack of fresh produce and degraded soils in Albany NY\'s South End.
Our Plan
Perennial Food Plantings for Soil Health and Free Community Harvest
Themes Addressed
-
Community
![term icon]()
-
Environmental Justice
![term icon]()
-
Food Insecurity
![term icon]()
-
Social Justice
![term icon]()
The Benefit
-
People
![term icon]()
-
Environment
![term icon]()
Here is how the project went:
Amazing! We were able to leverage three volunteers from the nearby Giffen Memorial Elementary School to assist with drop-in volunteer hours designed for community families. Additionally, an amazing Americorps crew of 15 volunteers helped out for four hours weekly during their 6-week program. Lastly, 7 community gardeners each maintained their own plots for community harvest.
Through this project I/we learned:
Through this project, we learned to engage the broader community during outreach efforts.
What I/we might change:
As we continue this project, we may designate some areas as free-to-pick garden plots and others as private community garden plots. A few of our community gardeners expressed frustration at the free-to-pick model that we have employed.
My/our favorite part of this project was:
My favorite part of this project is the long rows (250' total) of raspberries that are available for neighborhood youth all summer and into the fall.
Some tips, tricks or fun facts about the project:
Coordinating with school leaders has enabled the leaders to have a stronger impact in the community they serve while additionally enabling us to increase our outreach!