Some of the Chester County Youth Center staff who are volunteer gardeners (left to right): Supervisor Brian Sebold, Program Coordinator Matt Howard, Youth Center Officer Arianis McFadden, Youth Center Officer Lauren Baratta, and Widener University student intern Abby Blake. Youth Center Officers Jim Smith, Arah Leggett, and Adam Thomas are not pictured.
A vegetable garden planted at the Chester County Youth Center (CCYC) in 2013 has grown into a flourishing partnership with Trellis for Tomorrow, a Phoenixville non-profit whose experiential programs focus on organic gardening, environmental education, and food security. To date, that garden, which consists of six raised beds and a self-irrigated hoop house, has harvested 17,000 pounds of vegetables – all donated to local food cupboards and CCYC’s cooking program.
Chester County Youth Center Director Deb Maccariella said, “Trellis for Tomorrow is a terrific partner who assists us in offering a chance for our residents to get outside, learn where their food comes from, and watch something grow from a seed to a vegetable. The residents who work in the gardening program earn community service time by planting, watering, weeding, and harvesting. It’s so rewarding to observe the pride and excitement on our residents’ (and staff) faces when they see, smell, and hold the results of their nurturing and hard work.”
The organic CCYC garden has three growing seasons: spring, summer, and fall. Spring plantings include potatoes, lettuce, and cabbage, while tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, zucchini, and eggplants are grown in the summer. More tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers are planted for the fall season. The gardens are checked and maintained throughout the year, even when they are inactive.
Over the past few years, the CCYC garden has yielded over 2,000 pounds of vegetables annually. The vegetables have been donated to the West Chester Food Cupboard and other local food cupboards, including Kennett Square Food Cupboard, the Lord’s Pantry in Downingtown, Pathstone Food Pantry in Kennett Square, the Chester County Food Bank, and the West Chester Food Cupboard. CCYC’s Arts Holding Hands and Hearts cooking program also uses the produce in creating meals with the CCYC residents.
