Temple Community Garden is a welcoming and tight-knit group of Temple students who share a passion for gardening. Members attend weekly meetings, participate in community programs and cultivate our two gardens ( Main Garden: Broad & Norris; Sonia Sanchez Garden: Diamond & Susquehanna). At our meetings, we have guest speakers about a variety of topics, discussions about our community programs and share ideas and pointers about gardening. We send out lots of information, fun facts and volunteer/ internship opportunities through our listserv. Sign up for our emails and come to our meetings- there is a place for you in the TCG family!
Our Team
Meet the Executive Board of TCG
From L to R: Gabrielle Taube, Ashley Tryba, Katy Ament, Alison Merrick, Becky Straus, Kara Lieff
The History of TCG
Temple Community Garden is a student organization at Temple University's Main Campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Our roots were planted in 2009 by a small group of students who found gardening and horticulture to be interesting and exciting. The original group of students saw these subjects as key elements in building a community that is conscientious of the environment and self-sufficient. They believed that gardening and horticulture should be important in every neighborhood in Philadelphia, so they decided to start their own. They obtained a garden space at 11th and Berks Streets where some raised beds were built with donated materials, and they began gardening. Since those first days of TCG, we have expanded our organization, and we continue to grow. The following generations of TCG carry on those same beliefs of the founders and continue to build upon those values.
Shortly after opening our space at 11th and Berks, we were granted the opportunity to work with Penrose Playground, close by at 12th and Susquehanna Streets. This chance to work with kids from the surrounding neighborhood helped shape our vision and mission. We realized that sharing our gardening skills and knowledge with kids would not only help them connect with the land around them, but also give them access to nutritious foods that otherwise would not be available in the area. You can read more about our Penrose Program on our Programs page.
In the Spring of 2011, we obtained two new garden spaces. First, our main garden moved from its original location at 11th and Berks to its current location at Broad and Norris Streets. Second, the responsibility of maintaining the Sonia Sanchez Garden, located at Diamond and Carlisle, was transferred from its former owner to Temple Community Garden. These two new locations have opened up many opportunities for the organization. We now compost at both sites, and in the Fall of 2011, we started gardening with members of Project Home from Kairo's House, a homeless shelter located at Broad and Jefferson, at these new sites.
Temple Community Garden continues to grow in numbers and in reach throughout the city. This spring, we will be collaborating with Philadelphia Housing Authority for some gardening projects. Don't miss out on all of the great opportunities and events happening with Temple Community Garden!
Our President is Alison Merrick, a junior who is a Geography & Urban Studies Major, Political Science Minor. As president, Alison oversees TCG as an organization. She plans to focus her time on supporting and coordinating heads of community programs and helping TCG become more efficient and effective within the community. Alison says, “I love TCG’s family. We are a community by ourselves, which makes it very inviting for other communities to become involved. TCG is at somewhat of a fork where there are a lot of opportunities for us to grow. I hope to attract enough of a member base for us to expand outwards into the Philadelphia community through the opportunity of additional programs and partnerships.”
Our Vice President is Gabrielle Taube, a sophomore who is double majoring in Environmental Studies & Geography and Urban Studies with a minor in Horticulture. As vice president, Gabrielle helps to organize and run club events and meetings. She also runs the after school program at Penrose Rec Center. She likes the sense of community among the members of the club as well as the community programs which bring students closer to our neighbors. Gabrielle says, “ I would love to see this organization grow in size and in reputation. I want every student on Temple's campus to know that they have a place down the block where they can grow their very own fruits and vegetables. I would also like for the club to expand our community outreach programs because there are so many great opportunities to spread gardening knowledge and experience. With urban farming becoming such a growing resource in the city of Philadelphia, knowing how to garden is not only a potential hobby, but can also be economically valuable.”
Our Secretary is Becky Straus, a sophomore English major and History minor. As secretary, Becky writes weekly emails to send out through the listserv, assists in running meetings/ planning events, and communicates with Temple departments to make sure our events go as planned and that our organization is allowed to continue with Temple's support. Becky says, “I love that TCG members are friendly and diverse. Our members always have something to contribute or teach to the group, whether it is gardening knowledge, cultural diversity, or even a connection with another group who can support our organization. I want TCG to keep growing, not only in terms of members and visibility on campus and in Philadelphia community, but as well as knowledge about urban gardening and sustainable living. I want new members who join in the fall semester to be able to spend the year gardening and volunteering with TCG, and by May have the knowledge, skills, and confidence to garden independently and to teach others how to grow food.”
Our Events Coordinator is Ashley Tryba, currently a Sophomore who is majoring in Environmental Studies, minoring in French but enjoys learning about pretty much everything (Asian Studies, Religion, Anthro, Younameit). She is, believe it or not, responsible for planning all of the TCG events, including our biggest fundraiser of the year: The Temple Community Gardens Banquet! Planning involves figuring out what needs to be done to make sure everything runs smoothly at an event, delegating responsibilities and/or organizing volunteers within the general body to help out, sending them email-reminders, over-seeing the day of, and completing any last touches. She loves TCG because it is her family away from home. As a result of joining the club, she has met people she can laugh, eat, and play in the dirt with- all of which are very important for her stability, especially on those extra-dreary North Philly days. She dreams that one day more students will find solace at our humble abode on Broad and Norris growing fresh and organic veggies, herbs, and other delicacies. Her bigger dreams include somehow aiding the spread more community gardens until they freckle the face of Philadelphia, creating tighter bonds between neighbors, increasing food security for this food desert, and raising spirits!
Our Treasurer is Kara Lieff.
Our Social Media Manager is Katy Ament, a freshman who is majoring in Environmental Studies. As Social Media Manager, Katy manages all of our social media accounts including this blog and our facebook, Twitter, and Flickr accounts. She tries her best to keep all of our tech savvy followers up to date with our latest news. She plans to blog about our interesting speakers and other fun gardening/ sustainable lifestyle events and lectures that occur throughout the city, turning TCG into your "go-to" organization for everything green about Philly! She loves the way TCG is a very accepting and productive organization. She was able to fit right in with the TCG family in her first semester at Temple University and plans to continue her involvement in the organization to improve her gardening skills and sustainable lifestyle. She cannot wait to see what the future has in store for TCG!
The History of TCG
Temple Community Garden is a student organization at Temple University's Main Campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Our roots were planted in 2009 by a small group of students who found gardening and horticulture to be interesting and exciting. The original group of students saw these subjects as key elements in building a community that is conscientious of the environment and self-sufficient. They believed that gardening and horticulture should be important in every neighborhood in Philadelphia, so they decided to start their own. They obtained a garden space at 11th and Berks Streets where some raised beds were built with donated materials, and they began gardening. Since those first days of TCG, we have expanded our organization, and we continue to grow. The following generations of TCG carry on those same beliefs of the founders and continue to build upon those values.
Shortly after opening our space at 11th and Berks, we were granted the opportunity to work with Penrose Playground, close by at 12th and Susquehanna Streets. This chance to work with kids from the surrounding neighborhood helped shape our vision and mission. We realized that sharing our gardening skills and knowledge with kids would not only help them connect with the land around them, but also give them access to nutritious foods that otherwise would not be available in the area. You can read more about our Penrose Program on our Programs page.
In the Spring of 2011, we obtained two new garden spaces. First, our main garden moved from its original location at 11th and Berks to its current location at Broad and Norris Streets. Second, the responsibility of maintaining the Sonia Sanchez Garden, located at Diamond and Carlisle, was transferred from its former owner to Temple Community Garden. These two new locations have opened up many opportunities for the organization. We now compost at both sites, and in the Fall of 2011, we started gardening with members of Project Home from Kairo's House, a homeless shelter located at Broad and Jefferson, at these new sites.
Temple Community Garden continues to grow in numbers and in reach throughout the city. This spring, we will be collaborating with Philadelphia Housing Authority for some gardening projects. Don't miss out on all of the great opportunities and events happening with Temple Community Garden!
