“To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.” Audrey Hepburn
Background
The East/West Community Garden was established in 2018 through the efforts of faculty and staff from Canisius University in collaboration with community partners. The garden was created as a space for local community members to grow nutritious food and offers the benefits of a green space in an urban setting. The garden also nurtures relationships between the Canisius and the surrounding community through opportunities for academic service learning centered around gardening, food, soil health, sustainability, and ecological stewardship. The garden is a symbol of the University’s growing dedication to its community partnerships and environmental sustainability.
(L) Canisius faculty and staff at East / West Community Garden on first day of development in 2018 (R) Present Day
About
The East / West Community Garden encourages lasting relationships and collaborations built around sustainable gardening practices (e.g. reducing food waste and carbon footprint), social justice, and ecological awareness. The garden space includes two composting bins used to turn organic waste to natural fertilizer. The garden supports biological diversity through pollinator gardens containing native flowering plants, insect boxes and bird feeders (Fig. 2).
The Garden also serves as a place for outdoor social gatherings (such as poetry readings or Halloween parties) that connect locals and the campus community together in nature. Several seating benches and sunshades are present to provide comfortable seeding for such initiatives.
Garden Bed Use Partnerships
Currently the raised garden beds are used by individual community members and Groundwork Buffalo. If you are interested in maintaining a raised garden bed at the East / West Community Garden, please contact Katie Costanzo at costanz4@canisius.edu. A copy of our rules for growing at the Community garden can be seen in the garden application / contract.
We encourage community members and local organizations to use the garden space for private or public events. Some organizations that have partnered to utilize the garden space for educational opportunities include the adjacent Buffalo Public School 17 and Tinkergarten. Currently Groundwork Buffalo uses the space grow produce for the local community, but they also employ local youth to do the work in which they learn in the process as well.
Harvest donated to the local community in the fall of 2024 by Groundwork Buffalo from their garden beds at the East / West Community Garden.