Harlem Grown tells the inspiring true story of how one man made a big difference in a neighborhood. After seeing how restless they were and their lack of healthy food options, Tony Hillery invited students from an underfunded school to turn a vacant lot into a beautiful and functional farm. By getting their hands dirty, these kids turned an abandoned space into something beautiful and useful while learning about healthy, sustainable eating and collaboration. Five years later, the kids and their parents, with the support of the Harlem Grown staff, grow thousands of pounds of fruits and vegetables a year. All of it is given to the kids and their families. The incredible story is vividly brought to life with Jessie Hartland’s “charmingly busy art” (Booklist) that readers will pore over in search of new details as they revisit this poignant and uplifting tale over and over again. Harlem Grown is an independent, not-for-profit organization. The author’s share of the proceeds from the sale of this book go directly to Harlem Grown (Source).
Author(s): Tony Hillery & Jessie Hartland
Tony Hillery is the founder and executive director of Harlem Grown. In 2011 he began volunteering at a public elementary school in Harlem. There, he noticed the vacant lot across from the street and had a big idea. After seeing how restless the students were and noticing their lack of healthy food options, Tony invited children from the underfunded school to turn a vacant lot into a beautiful and functional farm. By getting their hands dirty, these kids turned an abandoned space into something beautiful and useful while learning about healthy, sustainable eating and collaboration. Today, the kids and their parents, with the support of the Harlem Grown staff, grow thousands of pounds of fruits and vegetables a year. All of it is given to the kids and their families. Harlem Grown is now a youth development nonprofit utilizing food justice as a vehicle for social transformation. Although the organization’s work has always centered around food justice, the recent events have driven its members deeper into their work with more intention than ever before. Their focus has now expanded from a food justice platform to deliver all programming, services and activities through a deeper racial and social justice lens with disciplined attention to race and ethnicity (Source).
Jessie Hartland is a New York City based artist, and writer and illustrator of books for children. She has painted murals at a Japanese amusement park, designed Christmas windows for Bloomingdale’s, and put her mark on ceramics, watches, and all sorts of other things. She has done drawings for many magazines and newspapers such as The New York Times, Travel and Leisure Family, Martha Stewart Kids and Bon Appetit. Jessie Hartland’s paintings have been exhibited in Venice, Tokyo, Long Island and New York City (Source).