February 2023

“The purpose of the Garden Club overall [...] is to have a program that allows children in the Hilltop a diverse safe space to call their own. It is a program that allows the children to grow their own food, learn how to grow it, maintain it and learn various ways to prepare it.”

Carmen Gil, Manager of Afterschool and Family Programs, HYG / Read Full Article

September 2022

“For me, (the garden) is important because it’s a space of community and a space of beauty in our neighborhood. ... We’re always working to continue to bring the community in and have them feel a sense of ownership for this space.”

Anna Siriano, Board President, HYG / Read Full Article

February 2022

"I admire everything they're doing over there. There's not a lot of programs like that here in this area, and I think taking care of those plants and learning to grow them and nurture them, and the kids learning about their environment, it's very important."

Aden Mohamed, commissioner with the Greater Hilltop Area Commission / Read Full Article

July 2021

“Cooking is a big part of what we do. I think it’s important that [the kids] learn the connection between the earth and their food.”

- Charlie Richardson, Former Lead Gardener, HYG / Read Full Article

May 2023

“We are encouraging people to take matters into their own hands by helping them build backyard gardens, learning how to grow their own food, making the tools to do so accessible to them, and then advocating for different policies.”

Shelly Casto, Executive Director, HYG / Read Full Article

May 2023

“That excitement is wonderful for any youth, especially when they feel like it has grown as a team, and they’re able to bear witness to it growing from a seed to now something that’s able to be picked.”

Kayla Davis, Hilltop resident / Read Full Article

May 2023

“The garden is a breath of fresh air peeking through a landscape of car-crowded roads, underinvested infrastructure, and a community recovering from decades of deindustrialization and segregation.”

Refined Magazine / Read Full Article