FoodLab at Stony Brook Southampton is launching a new Community Garden this spring, aiming to provide students and local residents with a space to grow fresh food and foster community connections. The initiative is supported by a $2,400 Presidential Mini-Grant and a $50,000 grant from the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets Urban Farms and Community Gardens Grant Program. The project is a collaboration between the Bridgehampton Child Care and Recreational Center, Stony Brook Medicine, and the Office of Student Life.
“With support from this funding, we can cultivate more than vegetables — we can cultivate belonging,” said Judiann Carmack-Fayyaz, executive director of FoodLab at Stony Brook Southampton. “These grants have made it possible to grow an ecosystem where wellness, education and community are deeply rooted together. Through the shared act of growing and giving, we’re reminded that food is one of the most powerful ways to care for each other.”
The state grant comes as part of $2.5 million awarded to 51 organizations across New York in Round 3 of the Urban Farms and Community Gardens Grant Program. This program aims to enhance local food resiliency and security by supporting community growing spaces.
Students involved in the garden will maintain their own raised beds as well as participate in communal plots focused on crops chosen for their health benefits. The produce harvested will be distributed through a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program organized with the Bridgehampton Child Care and Recreational Center, targeting families facing food insecurity.
Located behind the Carriage House on campus, the garden will feature raised beds, fruit trees, berry bushes, and seating areas designed for reflection and connection. The space will also host workshops, meals, and wellness events led by Stony Brook Southampton Student Life to encourage participation from students, faculty, and community members.
Judiann Carmack-Fayyaz added: “The FoodLab Community Garden reminds us that change doesn’t always start in a laboratory or a lecture hall. Sometimes, it starts with a seed, a trowel and a shared vision of a healthier, more connected world.”
