Edible Schoolyard NYC

Last week, I had a wonderful virtual visit to Edible Schoolyard NYC's (ESYNYC) inaugural site at P.S. 216, in Gravesend, Brooklyn, New York. For the last several years, ABZFF has provided grant support to ESYNYC, but this was my first site visit with them. I’m truly amazed at their work.

At P.S. 216, which serves pre-K through 5th grade on Avenue X in Brooklyn near Coney Island, they have a half-acre garden and special kitchen classroom that they use to teach hands-on gardening and cooking to nearly 700 students. Dan of ESYNYC conducted the tour which included the vegetable garden; greenhouse; kitchen classroom; herb garden; pollinator garden; compost pile; and their chicken coop where they keep 15 different hens. I just loved seeing the chickens and learning about how they lay different types of eggs which the students use for cooking. Right now, they are harvesting grapes; frying peppers; eggplant; zucchini; tomatoes; jalapenos; and sour cucumbers.

ESYNYC’s “edible schoolyard” at P.S. 216 teaches students the entire growing process from seed to harvest. What’s more, about two-thirds of the harvested produce is sold at a weekly “pay what you can” farm stand in the community. The farm stand also accepts payment through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which further aligns with ABZFF’s mission.

In addition to P.S. 216, ESYNYC also serves six other schools in communities disproportionately affected by food and education system inequities, reaching nearly 3,000 students in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and the Bronx with their edible education curriculum. They were founded in 2010, and also offer professional development for teachers, cooking classes and recipe kits for parents and the community, and more. I’m really looking forward to visiting P.S. 216 in person and continuing our support for ESYNYC in the coming year.

—Liz