Donte Taylor is the Manhattan Regional Manager for the New York Restoration Project (NYRP), a non-profit organization committed to developing New York City’s green spaces. The NYRP runs many community gardens that are open to all members of the public to enjoy or use. In this article, Donte tells us how community gardens can teach our children how to live a healthier life and make our community a healthier and happier place. 

Q: Do you think that the New York Restoration Project community spaces affect our community’s health?

A: Yes, I think the NYRP’s community spaces have affected health in a real positive way.  I grew up in the Bronx and I’ve lived in Manhattan for a lot of years, and I didn’t really know that parks and green spaces existed until I started working with New York Restoration Project in 2024. I knew nothing about how to plant vegetables.  I wasn’t educated on these things. I feel like the New York Restoration Project is doing something that is going to help kids to become aware of what is healthy and what is not healthy, to get off the couch and get outside. The NYRP is trying to empower kids to make their environment beautiful, and take charge of their green spaces.

Q: Besides improving health, do the green spaces impact the community in other ways?

A: Yes, in many ways. For instance, you can walk into the majority of the NYRP gardens and you will see people making use of these sites. It might be a teacher who is there reading a book or grading their papers, relaxing. Families come in and let their kids run around in a safe space, just to kick back.  We have people who barbecue in our spaces.  If you don’t have a big house with the picket fence in the backyard where you can do whatever you want, you can make use of these green spaces within your urban community.  You can just leave your apartment walk a short distance to a community space where you can feel like it’s your backyard. And that’s what NYRP is making happen for people.