A group of friends at Temple University with a shared passion for gardening and helping improve the surrounding community planted an idea in 2009 that grew into the Temple Community Garden.
These students, putting their green thumbs to work, started out with a small patch of ground at 11th and Berks Streets for their planting.
In the three years since their beginning, the TCG initiative has grown from tending a few raised beds to operating two separate gardens plus a year-round vegetable garden at Broad and Norris Streets. Additionally, the organization maintains a flower garden, the Sonia Sanchez Flower Garden at Carlisle and Diamond Streets and has an itinerary of three separate community based programs.
“Our goal is to help shift North Philly from a place lacking in fresh food to a neighborhood of gardeners.” Katy Ament said. This sophomore Environmental Studies major at Temple is the TCG Social Media Manager.
TCG divides their time away from the garden providing homework help for children in the area and teaching gardening to youth at the Penrose Playground, 12th Street and Susquehanna Avenue.
“We want kids to grow up with knowledge of sustainable gardening,” Ament said.
This organization also runs programs at the Raymond Rosen Community Center (23rd and Diamond Streets) where they taught community members how to utilize the raised bed they had. TCG also works with residents at the Kairos House, a homeless shelter at 1440 N. Broad St., lessons on growing their own food. At both sites they help to operate compost piles.
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