April 20, 2023
ABC7: Celebrate Earth Day with Harlem Grown
June 13, 2023
Archinect News: Harlem Grown and BRANDT : HAFERD's 'Sankofa' will take over Marcus Garvey Park this summer
A new public art installation will kick off the Mellon Foundation-funded Culture, Creativity, & Care Initiative in Harlem this summer with an engaging reflection of the history of Marcus Garvey Park and the cultural craft traditions of the various communities which surround it.
Friday, June 16th, will mark the grand opening of “Sankofa,” a circular 32-foot structure that serves as an art gallery and public gathering space for residents of the neighborhood who will meet underneath its mesh fabric canopy’s complex composition print.
The project was initiated by the Black-led artists collective, Harlem Grown, and Jerome Haferd of BRANDT : HAFERD. The design team describes:
“‘Sankofa’ is the first outdoor hub to be unveiled as part of the initiative. ‘Sankofa’ derives from the Akan African folklore, symbolizing remembrance of things forgotten, and means ‘in order to know our future we must look to our past’. The installation is a new design inspired by centuries of tradition and will host a range of events and art that celebrate the rich histories of Harlem’s communities while showcasing fresh interpretations of those ideas.”
August 4, 2023
PATCH: Harlem Urban Farming Org Receives $10K Grant From Starbucks
The organization was one of more than 1,900 nonprofits to be selected of the 19,000 nominations for the grant. For an organization to have been chosen, it had to be nominated by a Starbucks partner (employee).
“My first experience with Harlem Grown was as a store manager in the Harlem Area five years ago," Starbucks store manager Islam said in a news release. "I volunteered and had the opportunity to hear the story of Harlem Grown directly from its founder and plant various fruits and vegetables."
"We came back later that year and had the opportunity to harvest the very plants that we seeded. It was truly unique and rewarding experience," they added…
Harlem Grown received one of the highest number of nominations of any in the country, with 155 Starbucks employees nominating the nonprofit.
November 13, 2023
NY1: Urban farms and mobile farm stands bring relief to city food deserts
Over the past 12 years, Tony Hillery and his team at Harlem Grown have transformed a vacant lot filled with junk on West 134th Street in Manhattan into a garden oasis.
It is part of a network of urban farms that feed the surrounding community.
“Now, collectively over our 14 sites, we grow just shy of 6,000 pounds of organic produce. We have free farmers markets every Wednesday and Saturday, but it’s complete with nutrition education, cooking demonstrations and recipe writing,” Hillery said.
July 21, 2023
Podcast: Breaking the cycle of poverty through urban farming education
Tony Hillery joins the 20-Minute Health Talk podcast to share how Harlem Grown is transforming the lives of food insecure children and promoting sustainable communities
Harlem Grown Expands Board of Directors with Three New Members
Diverse Experts Will Help Growth and Sustainability of Community Nonprofit
(New York - NY, July 18th, 2023) — Harlem Grown today announced the addition of three members to its Board of Directors: Jenny Flores, Head of Small Business Growth Philanthropy at Wells Fargo Foundation; Angie Henderson Moncada, Staff SVP of Marketing at FM Global; and Eric Anthony Wells, Principal Architect at Warburg Pincus. These new board members not only increase the range of skill sets and expertise available to Harlem Grown as it plans for the future, but also open the doors for meaningful partnerships and sustainability strategies.
Harlem Grown’s Board of Directors now includes 16 professionals within the finance, law, healthcare, sustainability, education, and wellness sectors who share best practices within their respective industries.
“Our Board of Directors are absolutely essential in accomplishing our mission to inspire youth to live healthy and ambitious lives,” said Tony Hillery, Founder and CEO of Harlem Grown. “I am thrilled to welcome Jenny, Angie, and Eric to the ‘farmily’ and am deeply appreciative of their willingness to contribute so much time and energy to our organization and our beloved community.”
“I extend a heartfelt welcome to Jenny, Angie, and Eric, whose invaluable expertise, commitment and passion for community empowerment will undoubtedly strengthen our organization's mission and build a more sustainable, food secure Harlem” said Joshua Strugatz, Board Chair of Harlem Grown. The Board helps build connections within their networks that share Harlem Grown’s core values. They often host volunteer days on the farms, engaging their companies in dozens of hours of support that impact crop production, enhance farms, and inspire young people. Flores, Henderson Moncada, and Wells expand Harlem Grown’s reach and ability to find new partners in food justice, environmental sustainability, and youth development.
“Harlem Grown’s Board of Directors contribute to the success of our organization in so many ways — from fundraising, to strategic planning, to oversight,” said Nicole Engel, Executive Director of Harlem Grown. “The Board works alongside us to ensure we efficiently utilize our assets to maintain our organization’s financial health for the long term. I know that Jenny, Angie, and Eric will help us continue to raise the bar on what’s possible for Harlem Grown.”
Flores has more than two decades of experience in banking, impact philanthropy, employee engagement, and corporate citizenship. She is responsible for combining financial resources with business expertise to help underserved and diverse entrepreneurs expand their contribution to the economy and their ability to provide jobs. “I know the impact that securing financial support can have on organizations aiming to make a difference. That is where my passion for Harlem Grown comes from: I believe we must lift up all people and find resources that can enable all communities to thrive. For years I’ve been a loyal advocate of Harlem Grown,” said Flores “My career has been dedicated to investing capital into underserved communities and I plan to help Harlem Grown make sustainable decisions and expand its impact.”
Henderson Moncada is a marketing executive who drives transformational change and profitable growth. Her experience spans more than 20 years across all disciplines of marketing and communications, with more than 15 years in financial services that includes leadership roles at the world’s largest bank, top reinsurer, and leading commercial property insurer, FM Global. “I was honored to visit Harlem Grown farms with FM Global last summer, and was so captivated by their mission I brought my daughter to Saturday youth programming on the farm last fall” said Henderson Moncada. “What I saw demonstrated the values and commitment to community resilience that FM Global and Harlem Grown share. That’s why FM Global is thrilled to be receiving the Pioneering Partnership Award at Harlem Grown’s 12th Annual Gala. Over this next year, I’m already looking forward to increasing FM Global employee engagement on the farms, creating professional development opportunities for staff and youth, and providing marketing and branding guidance.”
Wells joined Warburg Pincus in 2012. Prior to joining the firm, Wells held senior IT management positions at NYU Langone Medical Center and the American Red Cross. He holds 15 professional IT certifications from Microsoft and CompTIA, and is a TOGAF 9.1 certified Information Technology Architect. “My fondness of Harlem Grown started the moment I volunteered on the farms last year,” said Wells. “Since that day, I’ve rallied my colleagues to engage in Harlem Grown’s work and developed professional development opportunities for our youth. With my involvement on the Board, I now get to find new ways to elevate the critical work of the organization.”
About Harlem Grown
Harlem Grown is an independent, non-profit organization whose mission is to inspire youth to lead healthy and ambitious lives through mentorship and hands-on education in urban farming, sustainability, and nutrition. Founded in 2011, we operate local urban farms, increase access to and knowledge of healthy food for Harlem residents, and provide garden-based development programs to Harlem youth. For more information, visit: www.harlemgrown.org.
June 16th, 2023
Harlem Grown and Jerome Haferd / BRANDT : HAFERD announce grand opening June 18 of “Sankofa” art installation in Marcus Garvey Park
Installation will host programming and exhibit local art as a centerpiece of the Culture, Creativity, & Care Initiative funded by the Mellon Foundation.
(New York, NY - 6/16/2023) Harlem Grown and Jerome W Haferd of BRANDT : HAFERD announced the grand opening on June 18 of a new art installation in Marcus Garvey Park through NYC Parks’ Art in the Parks program. “Sankofa” is the first of multiple interactive installations to serve as centerpiece nodes of the Mellon Foundation-funded Culture, Creativity, & Care initiative over summers of 2023 and 2024.
Jerome W Haferd of BRANDT : HAFERD, a local Black-led public art and architecture practice, designed “Sankofa” with community input. “Sankofa” is the first outdoor hub to be unveiled as part of the initiative. “Sankofa” derives from the Akan African folklore, symbolizing remembrance of things forgotten, and means “in order to know our future we must look to our past”. The installation is a new design inspired by centuries of tradition and will host a range of events and art that celebrate the rich histories of Harlem’s communities while showcasing fresh interpretations of those ideas.
The design concept was inspired by working with groups of community members in Harlem and East Harlem. The piece draws upon intersectional cultures including African, Afro-caribbean and Indigenous craft traditions and as well as the everyday histories and contemporary life of the Park. The 32-foot circular structure incorporates a gathering space below a striking fabric mesh canopy that features a complex printed design depicting archival images and digitally composed layers evoking a “mythology” of Marcus Garvey Park, as well as other Harlem-inspired motifs. The interior space is surrounded by a rotating art gallery. Visitors pass underneath to reveal a ring of mounted artwork, a rotating exhibit that will feature the work of numerous local artists over the course of the summer.
The project involved planning and collaboration with local artists and makers across various artistic styles and media. Despite its bespoke appearance, the installation is based on a modular system and uses sturdy, reusable materials that can be reconfigured for a number of future uses or sites.
About the Culture Creativity & Care Initiative:
The Culture, Creativity, & Care Initiative is a two-year project that will center on historic Marcus Garvey Park and amplify Harlem’s rich history and culture for a diverse audience of community members and visitors. Within the Mellon Foundation’s Humanities in Place Initiative, the Culture, Creativity, & Care project focuses on fostering creativity and care in this essential public space at the heart of New York’s Harlem community.
As an organization that honors its deep connections to the culture and people of Harlem, Harlem Grown looks forward to partnering with and supporting local organizations to advance the park’s legacy of visual arts, performing arts, food, and liberal arts programming. Harlem Grown administered Open Calls for events and visual artwork to be featured as part of the initiative in summer 2023, and received 80 qualifying submissions, which are being reviewed by community-based selection committees. Organizations hosting events are encouraged to utilize “Sankofa” as an event space, however events and performances will be hosted throughout the park. Visual artists’ work will be reproduced and displayed inside “Sankofa’s” outdoor gallery in exhibitions throughout the summer.
Harlem Grown is also promoting its RFP for both events and art to be hosted in Summer 2024. Applications are due by October 1st, 2023. Projects up to $50,000 are eligible for full- or partial-funding through the initiative.
Anyone seeking more information on the initiative may email CCCI@harlemgrown.org.
About Harlem Grown
Harlem Grown is an independent, non-profit organization whose mission is to inspire youth to lead healthy and ambitious lives through mentorship and hands-on education in urban farming, sustainability, and nutrition. Founded in 2011, we operate local urban farms, increase access to and knowledge of healthy food for Harlem residents, and provide garden-based development programs to Harlem youth. For more information, visit: www.harlemgrown.org.
About Jerome Haferd / BRANDT : HAFERD
BRANDT : HAFERD is a Harlem-based, Black-led architecture and design studio. Their body of work includes academic research and a range of built projects - from the domestic to the workplace to the urban. Performance and Play, Abstract vs. Built Form, Nature and Territory, and the Individual vs. Collective are some of the interests explored in the practice.
About NYC Parks’ Art in the Parks Program
For nearly 60 years, NYC Parks’ Art in the Parks program has brought contemporary public artworks to the city’s parks, making New York City one of the world’s largest open-air galleries. The agency has consistently fostered the creation and installation of temporary public art in parks throughout the five boroughs. Since 1967, NYC Parks has collaborated with arts organizations and artists to produce more than 3,000 public artworks by 1,500 notable and emerging artists in more than 200 parks. For more information, please visit nyc.gov/parks/art.
About the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation is the nation’s largest supporter of the arts and humanities. Since 1969, the Foundation has been guided by its core belief that the humanities and arts are essential to human understanding. The Foundation believes that the arts and humanities are where we express our complex humanity, and that everyone deserves the beauty, transcendence, and freedom that can be found there. Through our grants, we seek to build just communities enriched by meaning and empowered by critical thinking, where ideas and imagination can thrive. Learn more at www.mellon.org.
About Marcus Garvey Park
Marcus Garvey Park has been a vibrant community resource since 1840. First named Mt. Morris Park, the park name was changed in 1973 to honor the Black social justice hero and businessman Marcus Garvey. Overseen by NYC Parks and one of the four Historic Harlem Parks, the park includes the city’s last remaining fire watchtower from 1856; a swimming pool designed by Black Harlem architect Percy Ifill; a recreation center named for a Trinidadian NYC Parks worker; and NYC Park’s largest amphitheater for public programming at 1600 seats, named for famous former park resident, Broadway’s Richard Rodgers. It hosts a wide array of formal and informal programming produced by the public, NYC Parks, City Parks Foundation, Jazzmobile, Classical Theater of Harlem and many more. The park hosted the famed Harlem Cultural Festival, the focus of the Oscar-nominated film, “Summer of Soul,” and is currently being considered as a new addition to the National Register of Historic Places.
Sankofa Installation Details:
Jerome W Haferd / BRANDT : HAFERD, 2023
32’-0 diameter. steel, printed polymer mesh, timber, wood, and various
Lead Designer : Jerome Haferd (lead / principal)
Design Team : Violet Greenberg, Tiffany Gonzalez, Gabriel Moyer-Perez (project manager)
Mesh Canopy Artwork / Composition : Jerome Haferd, Violet Greenberg, Gabriel Moyer-Perez
Install support : Dominiq Oti, Pedro Cruz Cruz, Suraya Babb, and Shadeen Dixon
Consultants and Collaborators:
Steel Fabrication : Ziello Custom Framing and Fine Art https://www.ziello.com/
Printed Canopy and Art Panel Collaboration : NVS Visuals https://nvsvisuals.com/
Wood fabrication, design, and detailing : Tyreik Jackson, AREYOUAFIXER.com
Sitework : Franpen Restoration
Partners: Marcus Garvey Park Alliance, Mount Morris Park Community Improvement Association, Heath Gallery
Harlem Grown Announces Open Calls and RFP for Culture, Creativity, & Care Initiative at Marcus Garvey Park
(Harlem, NYC — 04/19/2023) — Harlem Grown announced today that the open calls and request for proposals (RFP) from artists, performers, instructors, organizations, and community members are now open for the Culture, Creativity, & Care Initiative. This is a two-year project that will center on historic Marcus Garvey Park and amplify Harlem’s rich history and culture for a diverse audience of community members and visitors. Within the Mellon Foundation’s Humanities in Place Initiative, the Culture, Creativity, & Care Initiative project will focus on fostering creativity and care in this essential public space at the heart of New York’s Harlem community.
Marcus Garvey Park has been a vibrant community resource since 1840 [then named Mt. Morris Park] and hosts a wide array of formal and informal public programming, including at its 1600-seat amphitheater, the largest in all of NYC Parks. As an organization that honors its deep connections to the culture and people of Harlem, Harlem Grown looks forward to partnering with and supporting local organizations to advance the park’s legacy of visual arts, performing arts, food, and liberal arts programming. Through the Culture, Creativity, & Care Initiative, Harlem Grown will administer a series of open calls and an RFP for activations in summer 2023 and summer 2024.
Harlem Grown will feature its Mobile Teaching Kitchen — a place for hands-on cooking workshops featuring recipes that reflect the diverse backgrounds of Harlem and produce grown in the neighborhood — throughout the length of this initiative. It will also fund local artists, individuals, and organizations to create temporary artist activations, multi-use outdoor art installations, public performances, and programming focused on Harlem and its Black, Latinx, and Indigenous histories and cultures.
Artists, performers, instructors, organizations, and community members are encouraged to reply to the Visual Art or Cultural Activation Open Call, submit a proposal, or join the Selection Committee. Projects should be aligned with the goal of creating a space where people can come together to celebrate their community, enhance storytelling, and appreciate the multifaceted narratives, histories, and creativity of Harlem and Marcus Garvey Park.
Open Calls for Summer 2023 Visual Art, Performances, and Cultural Activations:
Jerome Haferd of BRANDT : HAFERD, a Harlem-based architecture and design studio, facilitated workshops with Harlem residents to co-imagine a temporary art installation that will be installed by the studio in June 2023. The structure has been designed to be an inviting gathering space and also allow for events like visual art exhibitions, artist showcases, soapbox performances, open mics, and writing workshops to take place. The open calls for visual art, performances, and cultural activations aim to activate the art installation as a venue requesting completed works by local artists, collectives, and organizations. Applications will be accepted until May 14, 2023 and will be reviewed by a committee of community members.
Request for Proposals for Summer 2024 Projects:
For the summer of 2024, the RFP supports the shared goal to support events and activities at Marcus Garvey Park to reflect the best of what Harlem has to offer that activates various parts of the Park. The RFP is open for submissions from individuals, collectives, or organizations regardless of tax exempt status. Harlem Grown seeks proposals for both completed works as well as new projects and programs to be planned for summer 2024. Interested applicants have the opportunity to submit an application until October 1, 2023, for grants up to $50,000. Applications will be reviewed by a committee of community members. Those selected will work closely with the Harlem Grown Culture Creativity and Care Initiative team during planning and implementation.
The Culture Creativity and Care Initiative team will be hosting information sessions throughout the summer about these exciting opportunities.
To learn more, RSVP for the first information session on April 24th at 6:30pm. Individuals seeking funding, partnerships, and/or participation in selection committees are welcome to attend.
To learn more, visit the Harlem Grown Culture Creativity and Care Initiative website or email us at MarcusGarveyParkCCCI@harlemgrown.org with any questions.
About Harlem Grown
Harlem Grown is an independent, non-profit organization whose mission is to inspire youth to lead healthy and ambitious lives through mentorship and hands-on education in urban farming, sustainability, and nutrition. Founded in 2011, we operate local urban farms, increase access to and knowledge of healthy food for Harlem residents, and provide garden-based development programs to Harlem youth. For more information, visit: www.harlemgrown.org.
About The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation is the nation’s largest supporter of the arts and humanities. Since 1969, the Foundation has been guided by its core belief that the humanities and arts are essential to human understanding. The Foundation believes that the arts and humanities are where we express our complex humanity, and that everyone deserves the beauty, transcendence, and freedom that can be found there. Through our grants, we seek to build just communities enriched by meaning and empowered by critical thinking, where ideas and imagination can thrive. Learn more at www.mellon.org.
January 23, 2023
CBS: Marcus Garvey Park set for million-dollar makeover
CBS2 community partner Harlem Grown just received big backing from the Mellon Foundation's Humanities In Place program to fund a makeover of Marcus Garvey Park.
Harlem Grown's mission to grow healthy Harlem families has grown to more than a dozen urban farms in a decade. Now, the nonprofit will work with the city to maximize the neighborhood park's potential.
"You don't have to go to Midtown to have a good time," said Assanah. "You could come right here to Harlem."
Harlem Grown Announces $1.3M Mellon Foundation Grant to Support Programs in Marcus Garvey Park
Funds will center and amplify Harlem’s history, culture, creativity, and community of care
(New York, NY — 01/12/23) Harlem Grown announced today a two-year $1.3M grant from the Mellon Foundation that will support programs, initiatives, and installations on food culture, performing arts, visual arts, and cultural literacy in Marcus Garvey Park. The Marcus Garvey Park Culture, Creativity, and Care Initiative will focus on fostering creativity and care in an essential public space at the heart of New York’s Harlem and Black community.
The Marcus Garvey Park Culture, Creativity, and Care Initiative is a two-year multifaceted activation of the public realm that will center and amplify Harlem’s rich history and culture to diverse community members and visitors. The Mellon Foundation grant will support temporary artist installations, wellness pavilions, public performances, and programming focused on Harlem and its Black, Latinx, and Indigenous histories and cultures. This work will link to Harlem Grown’s existing network of urban farms. Ongoing public space interventions by BIPOC designers — approved and co-created by community-based organizations — will range from pop-up libraries, conversation-driving spaces, food and plant culture events, and activities focused on wellness and care.
Marcus Garvey Park has historically provided space for culture, activism, and engagement during periods of social, political, and environmental transformation resonant in Harlem and beyond.
“As we have expanded our farms and educational programming, and grown in our connections to the culture and history of Harlem, we’ve observed underinvestment in public spaces and how gentrification threatens these spaces,” said Tony Hillery, founder and CEO of Harlem Grown. “That’s why this grant is so transformational, and also why attaching this programming to somewhere as historically and culturally significant as Marcus Garvey Park matters deeply. Our work is a community effort and never stops at food; we are thrilled to find new ways to uplift the voices of past and present Harlem and are incredibly grateful for the generosity of the Mellon Foundation.”
“Our parks and public spaces are an essential infrastructure for our communities and important platforms for sharing our collective history, heritage, and culture,” said Justin Garrett Moore, program officer for the Humanities in Place program at the Mellon Foundation. “Marcus Garvey Park has a rich legacy that will continue to grow through new resources for community care and meaningful public engagement led by Harlem Grown and local partners through justice-focused arts, food, and cultural heritage activities.”
The Mellon Foundation’s Humanities in Place program supports a fuller, more complex telling of American histories and lived experiences by deepening the range of how and where our stories are told and by bringing a wider variety of voices into the public dialogue. The program provides resources for projects, initiatives, and infrastructure to better identify, document, create, and care for our places and supports innovative ideas and actions that design a more just present and future landscape — in community with one another and in society.
For the visual and performing arts programming, Harlem Grown will collaborate with community partners who can foster a meaningful cultural experience for our community within spaces available for added programming within the park. An RFP for this portion of the initiative will be available in late January. For interested parties in advance of the open RFP or those interested in participating in the design process of the wellness pavilions, please click the link below and fill out the form.
https://forms.office.com/r/UFtGbAUv3w
About Harlem Grown
Harlem Grown is an independent, non-profit organization whose mission is to inspire youth to lead healthy and ambitious lives through mentorship and hands-on education in urban farming, sustainability, and nutrition. Founded in 2011, we operate local urban farms, increase access to and knowledge of healthy food for Harlem residents, and provide garden-based development programs to Harlem youth. For more information, visit: www.harlemgrown.org.
About The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation is the nation’s largest supporter of the arts and humanities. Since 1969, the Foundation has been guided by its core belief that the humanities and arts are essential to human understanding. The Foundation believes that the arts and humanities are where we express our complex humanity, and that everyone deserves the beauty, transcendence, and freedom that can be found there. Through our grants, we seek to build just communities enriched by meaning and empowered by critical thinking, where ideas and imagination can thrive. Learn more at www.mellon.org.
Harlem Grown Launches Libraries on Farms
Community organization grows programming to support literacy and access to books
(New York, NY — April 21,2022) Harlem Grown will launch free libraries on its farms this Saturday, April 23, during the organization’s Earth Day celebration. The first library is located on the original Harlem Grown farm at 118 W. 134 Street, with the second library on its way at 77 W. 127 Street to continue to support the Harlem community, meet the developmental needs of all children, and promote literacy. The libraries are stocked with culturally relevant children’s books for ages 5-14. They won’t operate like a typical library, instead youth are invited to read books on the farms, take a book home and keep it, or return it at a later date. Books will be continually replenished on a monthly basis.
The library launches with a 3,000-book donation from Penguin Random House and a commitment to restock 250 titles per month through the end of the harvesting season. Over the last several months, staff constructed the libraries, with the generous support from donors all over the world.
“Our mission is about so much more than food,” said Tony Hillery, Founder and CEO, Harlem Grown. “Since the start, we’ve always been part of the community; we form deep, long-lasting partnerships with schools and education is an incredibly important component of our work. I’m thrilled we made these libraries happen. As I always say, ‘we don’t just grow food, we grow people.’”
“We are delighted to partner with Harlem Grown to bring diverse books to the Harlem community,” said Sanyu Dillon, Chief Marketing Officer, Penguin Random House U.S. “These onsite libraries make it possible for children to get access to books that reflect their lives while also learning about healthy habits through hands-on education on the farm. It’s exciting to be part of such a holistic, intersectional and thoughtful program that helps us reach more readers in creative new ways.”
The opening of the libraries also launches additional programming including a new partnership with the New York Public Library who will host weekly storytimes on the farms. Harlem Grown currently offers a wide variety of educational programming for children and adults. During the pandemic, the organization expanded its offerings with a mobile teaching kitchen to continue to bring food education and cooking classes to the schools and community.
“The launch of the libraries on our farms is such a natural progression,” noted Nicole Engel, Executive Director, Harlem Grown. “We believe education is at the core of our work, as food access requires education. As we continue to think about how to best support and nurture our school-age children in the neighborhood, we are thrilled to introduce this new initiative. When you think holistically, you begin to see that food justice, nutrition, literacy, and overall health are all connected.”
Harlem Grown’s Earth Day Celebration is Saturday, April 23 from 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. EDT at 118 W. 134th Street, NY, NY. Along with the launch of the library, there will be free yoga, cooking demos, hands-on kids programs, food scrap tie-dying, and music. The rain date is Sunday, April 24.
About Harlem Grown
Harlem Grown is an independent, non-profit organization whose mission is to inspire youth to lead healthy and ambitious lives through mentorship and hands-on education in urban farming, sustainability, and nutrition. Founded in 2011, we operate local urban farms, increase access to and knowledge of healthy food for Harlem residents, and provide garden-based development programs to Harlem youth. For more information, visit: www.harlemgrown.org.
HARLEM GROWN RECEIVES $50,000 GRANT FROM NEWMAN’S OWN FOUNDATION
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Celia Alicata, celia@brightergood.com
HARLEM GROWN RECEIVES $50,000 GRANT FROM NEWMAN’S OWN FOUNDATION
Funding will support expansion of Harlem Grown’s programming and farms
(September 13, 2021 — New York, NY) — Harlem Grown, the nonprofit dedicated to inspiring youth to lead healthy and ambitious lives through mentorship and hands-on education in urban farming, sustainability, and nutrition, has received a $50,000 grant from Newman’s Own Foundation, the independent foundation created by the late actor and philanthropist, Paul Newman. The award to Harlem Grown was made by Newman’s Own Foundation as part of its commitment to address issues of fresh food access and nutrition education.
The grant will be used by Harlem Grown to support its four central farms, two hydroponic greenhouses, and six partner gardens that provide more than 5,000 pounds of food distributed free to the Harlem community each year. In addition, the funds will help support free nutrition education programming for children and residents in Harlem.
“We are so grateful for the support from Newman’s Own Foundation,” said Nicole Engel, Harlem Grown’s executive director. “As we celebrate our 10th year, we continue to expand our programming and the amount of food we produce on our farms. The generous funds from Newman’s Own Foundation will help us continue our commitment to our Harlem community.”
Newman’s Own Foundation turns all net profits and royalties from the sale of Newman’s Own food and beverage products into donations. Since 1982, Paul Newman and Newman’s Own Foundation have given over $570 million to thousands of impactful organizations around the world.
About Harlem Grown
Harlem Grown is an independent, non-profit organization whose mission is to inspire youth to lead healthy and ambitious lives through mentorship and hands-on education in urban farming, sustainability, and nutrition. Founded in 2011, we operate local urban farms, increase access to and knowledge of healthy food for Harlem residents, and provide garden-based development programs to Harlem youth. For more information, visit: www.harlemgrown.org.
HARLEM GROWN ANNOUNCES NEW LEADERSHIP ROLES AS IT CELEBRATES 10 YEARS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 26, 2021
Contact: Celia Alicata, celia@brightergood.com
HARLEM GROWN ANNOUNCES NEW LEADERSHIP ROLES AS IT CELEBRATES 10 YEARS
Harlem food justice organization looks to accelerate its growth and impact.
(May 26, 2021 — New York, NY) — Harlem Grown, the nonprofit dedicated to inspiring youth to lead healthy and ambitious lives through mentorship and hands-on education in urban farming, sustainability, and nutrition, celebrates its 10th year with new dual leadership roles and a resolute focus on food justice in Harlem. Tony Hillery, founder and executive director, will move into the role of chief executive officer, and Nicole Engel will join the staff on June 7, 2021 as executive director.
Since 2011, Harlem Grown has operated local urban farms to increase access to healthy food for Harlem residents. The two leaders will divide executive-level functions for the organization and create opportunities to expand both its programming for elementary students and the number of local urban farms that it operates. Hillery will have a continued presence on all of the farms in addition to leading the organization’s fundraising efforts. Engel will take on the management of day-to-day operations as the leader responsible for all staff, systems, and operational activities.
“I’m humbled to think that 10 years ago this was merely an idea to raise support for abandoned lots and transform them into thriving community gardens,” said Hillery. “Now look at what we’ve accomplished — 12 urban agriculture facilities, five school partners, tens of thousands of students who know healthy habits. And yet, I know we can still do more for Harlem. The addition of Nicole to our team will make the organization stronger, and in turn make the community stronger. This will be a partnership where our skills complement each other.”
Engel brings her astute use of data to build upon the organization’s 10-year foundation. Most recently, she served as the chief of staff at Harlem Village Academies (HVA), a K-12 public charter school network. In Engel’s five years at HVA, she oversaw the annual budgeting process, was responsible for developing and implementing operational systems across the network of six schools and ~ 2,000 students, and developed network-wide systems for collecting, analyzing, and activating data to drive academic results.
“This role is an incredible opportunity, and I am excited to take it on at such a pivotal time for the country and the Harlem community, specifically. We must do this work through a racial justice lens,” said Engel. “There is no separating Harlem Grown’s food justice mission from the critical work that is happening right now around identifying inequalities and dismantling systemic racism. I see urban agriculture as a unique tool to drive impact that enriches children and can help solve some of our country's most intractable issues. I am dedicated to this community, to social justice, and to using data as a tool to broaden our programming to meet the needs and dreams of our Harlem families.”
“As we reflect upon our 10 years supporting the Harlem community, we see a demand for more of our services,” said Adama Diggs, board chair and investment advisor, JP Morgan Chase Private Bank and Wealth Management. “We deliberately created a role for Tony to do his best work, while strategically identifying the skills we need in his counterpart. And that’s what we found in Nicole. The two of them together — with their strengths and passions — along with the incredible staff, will allow Harlem Grown to do more significant work across the community as we look to the next 10 years with promise and focus.”
In addition to the new top leadership structure, Latonya Assanah has been appointed Agriculture Director. Assanah is a lifetime member of the community who has been with Harlem Grown since its inception, first as a parent, then as a volunteer, and finally as a full-time staff member.
“This is the ‘farmily’ — and we might plant fruits and vegetables but what we really grow are people,” noted Hillery.
About Harlem Grown
Harlem Grown is an independent, non-profit organization whose mission is to inspire youth to lead healthy and ambitious lives through mentorship and hands-on education in urban farming, sustainability, and nutrition. Founded in 2011, we operate local urban farms, increase access to and knowledge of healthy food for Harlem residents, and provide garden-based development programs to Harlem youth. For more information, visit: www.harlemgrown.org.
