Donor Spotlight: Partners from the Ground Up: New Orleans Town Gardeners

Two volunteers standing in the Ashe GreenhouseAs Edible Schoolyard New Orleans (ESYNOLA) celebrates its 19th anniversary, we are thrilled  to  highlight, elevate, and express our deep gratitude for a very special  partner: New Orleans Town Gardeners (NOTG).  Without NOTG’s unwavering support and partnership,  ESYNOLA would not be thriving across FirstLine’s four school campuses.

NOTG has been a vital partner since the inception of ESYNOLA in 2006, but their history began even earlier,  in 1998, with PropaGators gardening classes at New Orleans Charter Middle School (NOCMS)–the precursor to FirstLine Schools.  The PropaGators classes, which cultivated  both the soil and the enthusiasm of students, laid the groundwork for the nationally acclaimed ESYNOLA program–an inspiring first replication of the program founded by chef and activist Alice Waters in Berkeley, Ca. 

 

Two NOTG volunteers standing in gardenFirstLine’s gardens and gardeners are blooming and thriving, thanks to over 25 years of commitment from the NOTG.  Their financial and volunteer support have helped bring the following projects to fruition–and this is not an exhaustive list!

  • Butterfly garden at LHA, including butterfly sculptures
  • Garden expansion and shade structures at Ashe and Wheatley
  • Garden development, grape arbors, butterfly garden, custom metal sculpture and benches, tool shed, handwashing stations, irrigation systems, and KABOOM! playground at Green
  • Budding Entrepreneurs/Growing Leaders Enrichment Program
  • General support for garden tools and program enhancement

 

 

In our early years,  NOTG members played key roles on the ESYNOLA Taskforce, volunteering  in garden and kitchen classes, at special events, and helping to  maintain NOCMS and ESY gardens. Notable individuals such as Karin Giger, Cathy Pierson, Carro Gardner, Marianne Mumford, Katie Rafferty, Dee McCloskey, and Beverly Church contributed significantly to our mission. 

Group of NOTG Volunteers In recent years, ESYNOLA has continued to benefit from the generosity, expertise, and volunteer time of Linda Cudd Miller and other NOTG members, including Maria Wisdom, Virginia Rowan, Liz Bush, and Kim White. 

The mission of NOTG is to stimulate knowledge and a love of gardening within the community and to restore, improve, and protect the quality of the environment of southeast Louisiana through educational programs, action, and grants in the fields of conservation and civic improvement. Their goal is to enrich  and preserve the environment of New Orleans now and for future generations. 

We are truly humbled and grateful for NOTG’s two and a half decades of service, support, and partnership, which has impacted tens of thousands of New Orleans children and families.