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La Familia Verde is a coalition of community gardens in the Crotona, East Tremont, and West Farms neighborhoods in the Bronx. Formed in 1998, our mission is to sustain the environment and culture of our neighborhood through education, community service, and horticulture. La Familia Verde is part of a community gardening tradition in New York City that dates back over 30 years, when city residents first began taking control of abandoned lots left by the economic and social devastation of the inner cities. Since that time, community gardens have played an important role in helping revitalize some of the city’s poorest neighborhoods. The gardens are not only pleasing to look at; they serve as educational, cultural, and social resource centers in traditionally underserved communities. Today, La Familia Verde is comprised of more than five community-operated gardens and various community based organizations. The gardens and community organizations help foster community pride, partnership, and activism. La Familia Verde: A Resource Center
La Familia Verde was formed due to the City’s quest to auction off over 100 community gardens. It was time to take a stand. The "community" part of gardening had to take center stage. As we gathered gardeners’ support throughout the City, we also received support from the community at large. As the community saw us fight for garden preservation, social issues in our own community started to surface. Community gardeners started addressing issues such as affordable housing, school overcrowding, safe streets, unemployment, and immigration. Over the years, La Familia Verde has aligned itself with community organizing groups. The Crotona Community Coalition and the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition have provided added resources to the residents to address these social issues. As a result, La Familia Verde has become a community gardening and resource center.
Along side several New York State farmers, the gardeners sell the produce grown in the community gardens at the La Familia Verde Farmers' Market. During the summer of 2010, La Familia Verde will also sponsor the first Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program in Crotona. Look at our Projects page for more information about these and other activities. If you would like to make a donation to La Familia Verde, please send a check or money order payable to: La Familia Verde Thank you for supporting community gardens! |
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"This website is made possible by
support from Green Guerillas
and the Mertz Gilmore Foundation." |
