The Town of Penfield Recreation Department has been awarded a $15,000 grant from the Genesee Valley Regional Market Authority’s Agriculture Development Program to expand the Penfield Children’s Garden. The garden will be built adjacent to the Penfield Community Victory Garden (PCVG) at 1748 Five Mile Line Road.Modeled after the PCVG which was established in 2009, the standalone Penfield Children’s Garden will be approximately 50’ x 30’. It will be constructed in the rear section of the PCVG property, outside of the main fenced area of the community garden beds. Currently, there is one bed located at PCVG dedicated to children’s use. The new garden area will increase dedicated space by over 1,000 SF.
With the newly created garden, a host of activities and opportunities for area kids will soon be available. Children will have the chance to explore, experience, and learn hands-on about growing food with educational programming accompanying the hands-on work to encourage healthy eating and caring for the natural environment.
“We are always exploring ways to add new amenities and programming in the Town of Penfield,” said Town Supervisor Marie Cinti. “The grant from the Genesee Valley Regional Market Authority’s Agriculture Development Program will allow us to do just that and benefit our youngest residents for many years to come.”
The project is expected to be completed this summer, and a full schedule of programming will be available for the 2023 season.
Sabrina Renner, Supervisor at Penfield Recreation, spearheaded efforts to secure the grant funding.
“This was an opportunity that we could not pass up, and we are grateful to the Genesee Valley Regional Market Authority for seeing the value in this project,” said Renner. “The Children’s Garden has been in need of expansion for a long time, as families in the community are becoming more interested in growing their own food and getting kids involved. We plan to make this garden a new destination for kids throughout the area.”
For more information on Penfield Recreation and Penfield Community Victory Garden, please visit Penfield.org/recreation.