Students Help Build Community Garden to Support Families Facing Food Insecurity

Members of Stony Brook Future Scholars, Future Farmers of America and The FoodLab with Wolfie at Stony Brook Southampton.

On a beautiful Saturday morning, The FoodLab's farm at Stony Brook Southampton transformed into a living classroom as more than 80 middle school students rolled up their sleeves to help lay the groundwork for a new community garden designed to support local residents facing food insecurity.

The initiative took place April 18 during the "Cultivating Change" community event, where students in the Stony Brook Future Scholars Program - representing five East End school districts - participated in hands-on agricultural workshops rooted in sustainability and stewardship. The day culminated with students helping prepare the community garden site for future planting and cultivation.

"Opportunities like these empower our scholars to see themselves as active contributors in their community," said Stony Brook Future Scholars Program Director Stephanie Nuñez, a 2016 State University of New York alumna. "As they give back through service, they also build skills in leadership and collaboration, while gaining exposure to careers in health, sustainability and food systems."

Eighth graders in the Future Scholars program were re-potting oregano seedlings from trays to pots in the FoodLab greenhouse to bring home to start their own gardens.

The middle school students were mentored about the lifecycle of sustainable food systems by FoodLab team members - including Executive Director Judiann Carmack-Fayyaz, Sarah Reilly and Brian Halweil, farm and greenhouse manager - as well as Bonnie Michelle Cannon, executive director of the Bridgehampton Child Care & Recreational Center. Throughout the day, students participated in activities ranging from planting and propagation to exploring "food as medicine" through demonstrations focused on fruit coleslaw and blended herbal teas.

In partnership with Richard Czyzyk, interim director of student life at Stony Brook Southampton, the FoodLab event brought together mentors and volunteers from across the community and beyond, including Future Farmers of America (FFA) representatives, former FFA representative Anthony "Rocco" Manner, who graduated last week from the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, and other Stony Brook University student leaders.

From left: Judiann Carmack-Fayyaz, director; Sarah Reilly, administrative assistant; Gaby Ramos, FoodLab apprentice; Wolfie; Brian Halweil, farm and greenhouse manager; and Bonnie Michelle Cannon, executive director of The Bridgehampton Child Care & Recreational Center.

"This event reflects what Stony Brook Southampton does best, bringing students and community together around work that is both meaningful and impactful," said Wendy Pearson, vice president for strategic initiatives for Stony Brook University and executive director of Stony Brook Southampton. "Through the FoodLab, we are addressing food insecurity while creating hands-on learning experiences that connect education, sustainability, and service to the needs of the East End community."

The impact of the garden will continue to grow well beyond this inaugural planting event. Crops will be thoughtfully cultivated for their health benefits and distributed in the spirit of "produce prescriptions." Through a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program coordinated with the Bridgehampton Child Care & Recreational Center, harvest bundles will reach local families experiencing food insecurity, reinforcing the garden's mission of giving back to the community.

From left: Students Zarin Khan, Justine Galvan, Anthony Maner, Cosette Bedoya and Reiana Apacible, members of the Student Life at Southampton Advisory Committee.

A $50,000 grant from the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets has made this Community Garden initiative possible, supporting both the hands that grow and the systems that give. Paid Stony Brook Student Life interns will maintain the space, ensuring it continues to thrive and serve the surrounding community, while a coordinator from the Bridgehampton Child Care & Recreational Center will help identify families in need and guide the distribution of fresh produce boxes.

Spanning nearly two acres, the FoodLab at Stony Brook Southampton includes a working farm, teaching gardens, test plots, greenhouses and hoop houses that support year-round cultivation. As Long Island stands as the fourth largest agricultural revenue generator in New York, this Community Garden initiative - supported by Student Life and the Future Scholars Program - advances SUNY AgriTech's mission of sustainable agriculture, applied learning, and workforce development, while infusing new energy and purpose into an already thriving food system.

- Kailyn Penney