A united community blossoms at the garden

Families, friends and students harvest vegetables, trees and camaraderie

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On a warm summer evening roughly 20 people came to the Hewlett-Woodmere Community Garden Learning Center to harvest a few of their plants and to enjoy some ice cream.

The garden learning center was created in 2013, after the students from the Hewlett-Woodmere Youth Leadership Forum received a grant from the school district.

Social studies teacher David Rifkind has been a force behind the garden since the idea was first suggested in 2011. “[The forum] went to a sustainability conference in Chicago … They visited inner-city community gardens and thought wow if they can have a garden in inner-city Chicago how come we don’t have one back home,” he said.

To attract community members to the garden, events such as the one on Aug. 9 are held. An ice cream truck was stationed in the parking lot adjacent to the garden for the Wednesday harvest and weeding.

More events are planned in the next few months. Carrot and potato pulls headline the schedule for this fall. Kids will harvest the root vegetables and awards will be presented for categories such as largest potato or most twisted

carrot.

Events such as these have helped the garden grow beyond the confines of the Youth Leadership Forum. Community members of all ages helped to harvest some of the beans and tomatoes that have sprouted in the past few weeks.

“I really like watching the community come together in support of one thing,” said Ian Isseks, 14, who’s been involved with the leadership program for four years.

The garden offers an opportunity for people of all ages to mix, mingle and learn from each other. “I like to see the kids harvest things that they take for granted in the supermarket,” said Bob Sympson, 83, “especially the root crops, like carrots or potatoes, they get quite a kick out of harvesting them, it’s like exploring or mining.” Sympson, formerly of the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Nassau County, is a garden adviser.

The Jeacoma family, Mark, Betsey and Ramiel were busy looking over the tomato plants, along with Elma Cox. Mark Jeacoma said that he is considering getting Ramiel’s Cub Scout troop involved with the garden.

While the garden has become a place for Five Towns residents to come together there are plans to make it more accessible for senior citizens and the disabled with a barrier-free elevated bed.

“We’ve in touch with a couple of different groups,” said Rifkind. “We wanted to have input on what to do, would people use it, would it be something practical for the area and all the answers point to yes it’s something we should have.”

Other plans include upgrading the irrigation system and adding four stone benches. In order to raise money for these projects the center is selling customized bricks to be inserted into the patio located near the entrance. Bricks are $75 for three lines of text and can be designed at thatsmtbrick.com/hwcgardenny.

The center has planted nearly 30 trees in Grant Park in Hewlett in the last few years and are growing more. It also donates all food they believe is fit to eat. “[We donate to] the Interfaith Nutrition Network, also the Five Towns Community Center, Rock and Wrap It Up! and local church groups,” Rifkind said. “We call it zero miles to plate.”