Two new gardens in Queens will provide a space for immigrant communities to grow
Image of the New Roots Community Farm in the Bronx by Kathleen McTigue, courtesy of International Rescue Committee (IRC)
Building on the success of the New Roots Community Farm in the Bronx, two additional New Roots Gardens are currently underway in Queens, the Sunnyside Post reports. The gardens are being planted on both sides of 69th Street near Woodside Avenue and will include vegetable beds, flowers, a greenhouse, and seating areas. As part of a Department of Transportation initiative with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and NYC Parks GreenThumb, the gardens aim to create a community space for immigrants and refugees, as well as access to fresh and affordable produce.
The IRC has already worked with over 30,000 refugees in New York and will be overseeing the space. It will work with refugees, immigrants, and community groups to cultivate the sites, while also creating a curriculum of educational workshops and activities to get local students engaged with gardening. Funding for the design and construction costs will be provided by IRC and United Way’s Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program.
The gardens will be planted on existing greenspaces over the BQE. “This innovative garden project experiment on a bridge, which is the first of its kind for the agency, will add a new dimension to the City’s ongoing effort to create public space around our transportation infrastructure,” DOT Queens Commissioner Nicole Garcia said in a statement.
[Via Sunnyside Post]
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