Community gardens grow food, connect communities, and heal our environment. As increased attention in recent years has focused on food insecurity and ways to remedy it, our work has continued to focus on all three aspects simultaneously. Healthy food cannot be successfully grown without a healthy environment, and both factors require community support to be successful. Indeed, Grassroots Gardens WNY is powered by collaborations and partnerships. With a small staff team of 6, none of our work would be possible without dedicated neighbors and teachers, and also our partners in the WNY nonprofit community.
Starting in 2023, our friends at Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper began a watershed-wide restoration plan for Scajaquada Creek, and Grassroots Gardens WNY was thrilled to be a participating organization.
In the last two years, we’ve been excited to participate in BNW’s Community Advisory Group, inviting neighbors in our garden network who are near the creek to join us, learn more about the creek that runs through – and in some cases, under – our communities, and offer feedback for restoration projects.
Simultaneously, looking at work within our organizational network, we’ve continued to explore stronger stewardship in our gardens with an eye towards healthy local waterways: we’ve installed rainbarrel systems to demonstrate their potential for overflow reduction, and also encouraged the planting of native plants that have lower watering requirements. We believe that our gardens not only serve as hubs for growing food and community, but also allow neighbors to see sustainability projects in action – projects that they, too, can replicate at home.
Getting involved in a community or school garden is not only a wonderful way to meet neighbors, learn how to grow food, and improve your community; it also helps us all connect to our larger regional ecosystem, including our critically important waterways.
Learn more about our work with the Scajaquada Restoration Plan:
This coming spring of 2026, thanks to the support of the New York State Pollution Prevention Institute (NYSP2I), we’ll be continue these projects and hosting a series of workshops and events focused on Integrated Pest Management, offering pesticide-free alternatives for caring for your garden that reduce or eliminate negative effects on the local environment, helping us keep the water and air free of harmful chemicals!
