The
Nancy L. Rogers
Memorial Garden
Named after our executive director's late mother, our community garden features organic, heirloom fruits and vegetables. All the food we grow is in the garden is available for free to our food pantry clients in addition to their regular groceries.
Why a community garden?
​One of the core beliefs of the Hope & Joy Food Pantry is that everyone is entitled to nutritious food. We don't believe this just stops at providing the base staples to survive, but giving our clients food that they are proud to serve at their dinner table. We believe dignity means not being limited in your choices to canned or frozen products, but having access to healthy, fresh grown produce. While these types of foods might seem like luxuries, given their high cost at local markets, they become no more expensive than the rest of the food we provide when we grow them ourselves from seeds.​​
What are heirloom seeds?
​Heirloom seeds are seeds that have been passed down through generations. ​This means that they have not been altered or bred for specific traits. This gives them unique appearances, flavors, and nutritous benefits that are not seen in commercial produce. Most seeds nowadays are hybrids, bred for specific uniform looks or high yields. Hybrid seeds also cannot be re-used and must be re-bought each year.
What are we growing?
Fruits/Vegetables:
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Artichoke
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​Beans
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Broccoli
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Brussel Sprout
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Cabbage
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Carrot
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Cauliflower
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Celery​
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Corn
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Cucumber​
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Eggplant​
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Garlic
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​Grapes
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Leek
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Lettuce
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Onion
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Pea
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Pepper​
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Spinach
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Strawberry
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Tomato
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Watermelon
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Zucchini
Herbs:
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Basil
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Chives
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Cilantro
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Dill
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Sage
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Thyme
Flowers:
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Calendula
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Lavendar
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Marigold
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Nasturtium
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Sunflower​
How are we building a sustainable garden?
We use only organic produce in our garden and we only use organic fertilizer in our soil. Additionally, we have our own compost bin for recycling waste into nutrients for our growing plants. We also collect rain water in barrels to reduce municpal water usage. Finally, we have built much of our fencing and flower beds with re-used and salvaged lumber when we were able. We continue to strive to find new ways to be environmental stewards through our garden.
How can I support the garden?
We are always looking for experienced and aspiring gardeners to volunteer with us during the growing seasons! Please reach out to volunteer@hopeandjoyfoodpantry.org or contact our director at 716-609-8819. We also host an annual "Night in the Garden" event where you can see our garden at it's best while enjoying refreshments, ambience, and fresh air. See our events page for details. We also accept monetary donations at any time through our donate page. If you have gardening supplies or tools you would like to donate, contact us to arrange a pickup/dropoff.