A tribute to Evan Weissman from Syracuse Grows

Abstract

First paragraph: When we reflect on the tremendous impact that Evan Weissman made on Syracuse Grows, our most enduring memories come from the annual “Resource Drive.” Syracuse Grows, an all-volunteer nonprofit organization dedicated to food justice in Syracuse, New York, hosts an annual one-day event when we mobilize the resources of our entire Syracuse community to support the city’s community gardens and urban farms. The event is held each year in April when, as anyone familiar with Syracuse weather will tell you, it could be raining, sleeting, hailing, snowing, or all of the above! Regard­less of the weather, it’s the perfect time to ready our city’s community gardens and farms for spring planting. On this day, borrowed and rented pickup trucks haul compost, mulch, and manure across the city in ragtag caravans, serving what has blossomed into a network of more than 25 gardens and 3 urban farms. Gardeners stand at the ready to receive the black gold that is critical to growing healthy foods in a city where food insecurity is ubiquitous. Volunteers—young, old, Black, white, Syracuse-born, and New Americans—work side-by-side to transform previously vacant lots into spaces that provide nourishment and camaraderie. When it’s time to break for lunch, volunteers with dirt-stained hands share in a meal, donated by local restaurants, and assess the day’s progress. It’s community building at its most authentic, and an event of which we are proud. . . .