SUS Harvest Luncheon
On Friday, September 16th, SUS’ Urban Gardening program, now in its second year, hosted a Harvest Luncheon at our Chester residence in Brooklyn. The luncheon was an opportunity to celebrate the great progress that our program has made this year, and for the individuals involved in the program to talk about what the experience has meant to them.
The SUS Urban Gardening program has a total of 30 raised beds across 7 sites, and currently employs 8 consumers from SUS mental health, developmental disabilities and veterans’ programs who maintain the beds. This year, the gardens produced over 300 lbs. of collard greens, 150 lbs. of tomatoes, 150 lbs. of eggplants, and 150 lbs. of beets. Dan Lohaus, SUS Director of Green Initiatives, said “I am incredibly proud of my garden employees this year, in particular how they have expanded the program and how they involved other consumers at each site. It has been wonderful to see how much they have learned and grown, and the progress they have all made.”
Raoul, one of the participants, talked of how the program has allowed him to build up the confidence he needed to get back into the workforce. Raoul was the chef responsible for the food at the luncheon, which included eggplant crostini with tomato salad, collard greens, and mixed salad. Nearly all of the ingredients used were home grown in an SUS garden. Community Board member Viola Greene-Walker attended the luncheon, and expressed how impressed she was with the program and event.
Congratulations to all of our gardeners on a successful harvest – keep up the good work!!
