Sunshine Garden and Wellness Committee

The garden is an official garden of NYC GreenThumb and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden GreenBridge Community Garden Alliance

Healthy Snack List available here, by popular demand, this list of snack ideas has been developed for PS 107 by the Wellness Committee

Harvest Day Recipes available here, including Sesame-Gingered Kale Slaw, Rice with Fresh Herbs, Hummus, Eggplant Caponata, Chive & Dill Dip, Sour Cream & Dill Dip and Minted Yogurt Dip.

Click here to read 5th grade essays about becoming a student representative to SchoolFood!

SUNSHINE GARDEN IN THE NEWS: READ ALL ABOUT IT!

Daily News names PS 107 edible garden among top 15 the borough of Brooklyn can't be beat
From School Yards to School Gardens
New planter stolen from schoolyard garden in Park Slope
Parents, Candidate Call For ‘Green Schools
Public School Parents Join Brad to Call for Greener, Healthier Schools
Little Green Thumbs by Beth Arky
Major Project: Edible Garden Enriches Students and Learning
Helping Children Grow
Charlie Rose Interview On Food Safety....... Here's the transcript including PS 107 Parent Michael Moss:
MICHAEL MOSS: There`s a big push in schools. My two boys go to PS 107, a public school in Brooklyn, [where] they`ve planted a garden and they  brought in chefs this is year to eat food made from the garden. And they`re thrilled... it`s starting at that age... there`s a whole movement in this school... to go back to food prepared in the schools and locally, if possible.
Harvest Day at PS 107 by Beth Arky
New York Daily News Article "Growing Enthusiasm"
PS 107's Sunshine Garden Featured in the EarthBox Newsletter
New York City GreenSchools.org Pays tribute to Sunshine Garden Pays tribute to administrators, PTA , science teacher and parents!

See........ Scenes from the October 7th Harvest Day ..... View Harvest Day PowerPoint Show created by Michele Israel

Harvest Day Contributors

Sally Gosper
Kathryn Koegel
Samascott Orchards
Jose Miguel Cuevas, Olave

PS 107 Sunshine Garden receives $8,175 in grants!

$500 from the Brooklyn Community Foundation (formerly the Independence Community Foundation)

$500 from the Astor Medical Group

The Garden Committee and 2nd grade teacher Ben van Dyke have received a $1,000 Project Learning Tree Greenworks! Community Action & Service Learning Grant for the Sunshine Garden Environmental Exploration project, which will jumpstart students' examination of community environmental challenges that affect gardening. And then, they will find a solution to the problems.

Ms. Tara, in conjunction with the garden committee, has won an AeroGrow Growing Kids Award, valued at $150.

$1,000 from PTO Today

$2,000 grant from Lowe's Toolbox for Education

$500, educational and gardening materials, workshop opportunities and access to a network of school gardeners materials from Kids Growing Food Grant, New York Agriculture in the Classroom, a program of Cornell University.

$500 from Independence Community Foundation Small Grant Program

$500 Home Depot gift card from Youth Garden Grant of the National Gardening Association

$250 from Annie's Homegrown Garden Grants Program

$500 from Park Slope Civic Council

Many thanks to Annie's Homegrown for a $25 check to cover the cost of the stolen planter.

Science teacher Steve Tomsik and the Garden Committee have received a $1,000 Toshiba America Foundation grant to support the Sunshine Garden Environmental Expansion project, which will engage 4th graders in a student-created and led gardening/environmental literacy project. We will need parent volunteers to work with students on this exciting initiative, which promotes environmental stewardship


Garden Design
We are very fortunate to have the pro-bono design services of Bryan Quinn of One Nature Design. He has been working with us since the end of spring to envision, build, and inform the contents of the garden. Bryan has given life to what was just an idea.

Volunteers, Contributors, Partners

What’s an involved project like a garden without dedicated people? Below is a starter list: we are reaching out to others who will likely be our partners down the road:

• Cynthia, Yolanda, and Pat, who approved the garden and have been supporting its development 100%
• Steve Tomsik, science teacher extraordinaire, who has shared his desires, needs, energy, and talent to move the garden concept to reality
• Peter Foti and the entire custodial staff, who have been working with the committee to approve space, unload trucks, get work permits...we could not ever do this without them
• Jennifer Dowd, Pre-K-1st grade science teacher
• The PTA Board
• Daniel O’Leary, community carpenter, who has led the garden construction as a volunteer
• Joe Rodriguez, Tarzian True Value Hardware, for the wonderful discount on and donation of whiskey barrel planters
• Sean Moran, manager of Dyke’s Lumber, for amazing savings on a good amount of plastic lumber, wood, and screws for the beds
• Sandor Gubis and Gloria Acosta, owners of Liberty Sunset Garden Center, and the center’s business consultant, Mirem Villamil, for fantastic discounts on bed liner and soil
• Tim Schipper of Colorblends who has contributed wonderful tulips the students will plant for winter cover.
• Lars Chellberg, of the Council on the Environment of New York City, who informed garden design and materials, and helped construct the beds
• Susan Fields, manager of Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s GreenBridge, who guided us on garden design and plant selections
• The Gardening Committee: Susan Hawk, Randi Roberts, Katherine Fletcher, Neal Charles, Howard Kushner, David Kim, Jonathan Blumberg, Marcel Van Ooyen, Julie Vasady-Kovacs, Kathryn Koegel, Louise Radwell, Pat DeVries, Shannon Lang, Judith Aley
• Many thanks to Trina Pilonero of Silver Heights Farm for donating fabulous organic seeds and giving us a significant discount on the most wonderful cabbage, kale, arugula, and other plants.
• We are grateful to FEDCO Seeds and Gene Frey for a donation of 5 lbs. of seeds toward our garden seed giveaway.
• Thanks to Operation Green Plant of the America the Beautiful Fund for a generous donation of over 200 seed packets.
• We extend our gratitude to Stokes Seeds and to David Shannon Nursery & Florist for seed donations.
• Tim and Nicole Fitzgerald for the donation of a cedar planter
• Thanks to Brooklyn Farms for a great discount on hydroponic planting medium
• Thanks to Karen Jenkins for her contribution of watering bottles.
  

We extend a public note of gratitude to individuals who donated seeds:

Mindy Phillips
Mari Renwick
Linda Gnat-Mullin
Andrea Shane
Jane Tabachnik
Nan Bettica
N.K. Jemisin
Dawn Campanille
Simone Mogul

Thanks to the following for donated raffle items:

Brooklyn Botanic Garden Education Department
Melanie Kozol & Scott Carney of Bussaco Restaurant

Rose Red & Lavendar

Kate Rope, a kind Park Slope community member

David Kim

Contact Michele Israel at malamu@optimum.net or Susan Hawk at susanhawk10@gmail.com for gardening information, volunteer opportunities, donations, etc.
Contact Randi Roberts at randi.roberts@nbcuni.com for information about the Wellness Committee