Since its inception 10 years ago, the Pleasantville Community Garden has gathered and shared over 120,000 pounds of fresh produce with those in need throughout the area – all with the support of our amazing community members.  

The idea of PCG was developed in 2014 by Devin Juros, a 7th grader at the time, who wanted to help his community and the hungry in Westchester. This grassroots effort relies 100% on our wonderful volunteers, many of whom are students from local high schools who want to work with us to help end food insecurity. 

This summer, PCG benefited from the enthusiastic support of two 11th graders from Pleasantville High School. Friends Lucas and Riley teamed up to weed, water and harvest fresh, organic produce from our garden located at and supported by St. John’s Episcopal Church.  

Reflecting on his volunteer week in July, Lucas said, “The chance to give back to my community gave me a sense of accomplishment. Getting my hands (and crocs) dirty while helping to weed and gather in the garden was great.”

For many of our volunteers, it’s often a family affair. Riley became interested in helping PCG because his older siblings volunteered at the garden when they were in high school. Riley enjoyed going along to help. He told us that, “Even though the weeding and gardening that I had to do while helping out was hard work, it was all worth it because I was able to harvest produce that will be given to people in need.” 

We know high school students have complicated academic, athletic and employment schedules, so we have options for volunteering. Not only can they sign up to help out during the summer at the garden, but they can also sign up to work with our “veggie hauler” team at the Pleasantville Farmers Market on Saturday mornings throughout the year. 

How does it work? Often, not everything the farmers bring to the market is sold, so the generous farmers at the P’ville Market donate unsold produce to PCG. As the Market winds down, our student team of veggie haulers stop by the participating vendors and collect any vegetables that the vendors are able to donate which are then taken to local food pantries by our veggie drivers. This opportunity takes about 30 minutes on Saturday at 12:45 p.m. as the market is ending. 

So whether you’re looking for an organic, meaningful hands-on gardening experience with PCG or a more active team effort at the market on Saturdays, we can use your help!  

As Lucas said, “I really enjoyed my experience volunteering at the community garden. It allowed me to disconnect from my phone and connect with nature.” He said that it felt good “knowing that giving my time helped to make a difference.” 

Many thanks to Lucas and Riley and their families for their support. If you or your family are interested in learning more about our volunteer opportunities, please go to our web site for more info at Volunteer | pville-garden (pvillegarden.org)