Gardening, Nutrition and Horticultural Therapy Programs 22-23

Note: Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic all garden programming is following recommended safety guidelines and offering both in person and virtual opportunities

KHCC's Garden and Nutrition Programs Opportunities:

• Food scrap drop off site  - we all create food waste - rather than sending it to a landfill, compost it with us to make garden gold! Community food scrap drop off is each Wednesday from noon - 2pm, seasonally.  

• Honey Bees - KHCC’s busy bees happily visit the garden to collect pollen. They help educate our community about the importance of pollinators, help us grow more prolific crops, and of course create delicious honey which we harvest and bottle on site - for sale seasonally! We are grateful to The Bee Conservancy and our volunteer beekeeper Flynn for supporting us.
  
• Community Garden  - Our street level community park is the home of 29 community gardener plots, available seasonally to our neighbors, staff, and anyone who is interested! The community garden is a space to learn from each other, grow our own food and reap the benefits of gardening.
• Teaching Garden  -  Participants from all KHCC programs - as well as staff, community gardeners and volunteers - reap the benefits of our main garden and outdoor classroom. We grow produce to snack on and sell for revenue. We grow flowers to enjoy their beauty. We garden to learn about our natural environment, nutrition, pollination and so much more!  
• Heat That Helps - KHCC's garden always includes a huge bed of serrano peppers which are made into hot sauce by Small Axe Peppers - an initiative to bring revenue to small community gardens. Click here to learn how to purchase.

Educational and Therapeutic Horticulture Programs:

Our educational and therapeutic horticulture programming utilizes interactions with nature to support all of KHCC’s program goals.

• Early Childhood  - Through trips to the garden, in-class lessons and at-home videos, our youngest participants learn about nature, wildlife, food & nutrition. All of these activities enhance their understanding of the natural world, the seasons, what they eat, how they communicate. This addition to more traditional classroom activities broadens their knowledge base and allows them to build self esteem and feel empowered, all while reaping the benefits of fresh air and physical activity.

• Youth  -  Service learning & internship opportunities provide our teens with horticultural education and transferable skills. Whether working in the garden, helping plan activities for younger participants, or researching green jobs, our youth learn to be responsible leaders, entrepreneurs and proponents for a sustainable future.
• Special Needs -  Our Respite participants engage in therapeutic & educational horticulture both in person and virtually. Group goals include encouraging appropriate social skills, acquiring new knowledge and boosting self esteem through empowering activities. 
• Changing Futures - Horticultural Therapy services are offered through our Changing Futures Program in the form of one-to-one therapy sessions and  group sessions. 

Garden History:

The KHCC garden was developed, along with the construction of an amphitheater, in conjunction with the Horace Mann School’s service learning program. The community came together to plant the garden and sow the first seeds in celebration of Earth Day with a service learning day in April 2008. 

How To Get Involved:

• Schedule a tour
• Volunteer (click)
• Garden in a community plot
• Attend an event or workshop 
• Share your expertise
• Make a donation (link to donate page)
• Check out our social media #KHCCultivates

“Gardening helps children to look closer at the wildlife and life cycle of plants in their community. My children observe various textures of plants, vegetables, flower petals, stems and leaves. They notice and compare the shapes, sizes, colors and weight of vegetables...one day they may be scientists or mathematicians.” KHCC Staff

“The gardening program is such an organic way for kids to learn and open up.” KHCC Staff

During the Covid-19 crisis, we are bringing garden education online! Families have the opportunity to learn about cultivation through the Cultivation Corner, a series created by our Horticultural Therapist & Garden Program Coordinator Gerry Sherman. 

For more information, email our Horticultural Therapist & Garden Program Coordinator, Rosana De Leon, at rdeleon@khcc-nyc.org or our Director of Development, Ansley Ward Davenport, at awdavenport@khcc-nyc.org