Mission
Garden School Foundation provides in-depth garden-based education to youth at Title I schools in Los Angeles, strengthening connections between food justice, environmental stewardship, and community health. By using the full transformative potential of school gardens as teaching sites, we nurture a healthy and mindful generation of children who care for their bodies, their communities, and the earth.
We currently serve ten Title I elementary schools, reaching over 3,200 students and their families each year.
2005 — Planting the First Seeds
In 2005, when a large expanse of blacktop at 24th Street Elementary was about to be resurfaced, a coalition of educators, neighbors, community organizations, and concerned citizens seized on the opportunity to transform the paved lot into a 1.5-acre garden classroom. Their goal was to use the garden to address the links between poverty, lack of access to fresh food, and academic performance. The nonprofit Garden School Foundation was formed to support these efforts.
Today, as one of the largest such gardens in LAUSD, 24th Street continues to thrive and have a profound effect on students. The garden has become a treasured resource, deeply embedded in the lives of students’ families, neighbors, and like-minded people from across the city. Our unique Seed to Table curriculum of gardening and nutritional cooking classes was developed at 24th Street, was expanded to four schools in 2013, and now currently serves ten Title I schools throughout L.A.
Growing our Impact — 2024
10
school gardens at elementary schools in Los Angeles
3,256
youth served with Seed to Table education
51,215
pounds of food waste diverted from the landfill
87,611
pounds of free produce shared with families
Staff
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Rachel Black
she/her
Executive Director
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Elizabeth Hall
she/her
Outreach and Development Manager
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Ann Dang
she/her
Cafeteria to Compost Manager
Master Gardener -
Alejandra Mendoza
she/her
Seed to Table Program Manager
Garden and Education Specialist at Charnock Road Elementary
Master Gardner -
Taeya Long
she/her
Garden and Education Specialist at Mary W. Jackson STEAM Multilingual Magnet
Master Gardener -
Janelle Jimenez
she/her
Garden and Education Specialist at Gardner Elementary and Rockdale Elementary
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Perren Carrillo
Site Lead and Garden and Education Specialist at 24th Street Elementary
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Joshua Barraga
he/him
Garden and Education Specialist at Wilshire Crest Elementary
California Climate Action Corps Service Member -
Christopher Racle
he/him
Garden and Education Specialist at Annalee Elementary and Leapwood Ave Elementary
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Rina Abrego
she/her
Cafeteria to Compost Team Member at 24th St Elementary
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Jose Villafana
he/him
Cafeteria to Compost Team Member at Grand View Blvd. Elementary
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Ramiro Duran
he/him
California Climate Action Corps Service Member at Wilshire Crest Elementary
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Lusí Ajonjoli
she/they/he
California Climate Action Corps Service Member at 24th St Elementary
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Veronica Martinez
she/her
California Climate Action Corps Service Member at 99th St Elementary
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Joon Seo Lee
he/him
Garden and Education Specialist at Grand View Blvd. Elementary
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Maggie Ng
she/her
Garden and Education Specialist at 99th St Elementary
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Mayra Gonzalez
she/her
Cafeteria to Compost Team Member at 99th St Elementary
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Priyankaa Cid
she/her
California Climate Action Corps Service Member at Grand View Blvd. Elementary
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Katie Ryan
she/her
California Climate Action Corps Service Member at 24th St Elementary
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Madelinn Ornelas
they/them
California Climate Action Corps Service Member at 24th St Elementary
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Alvaro Hernandez
he/him
California Climate Action Corps Service Member at 24th St Elementary
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Abbey Lee
she/they
California Climate Action Corps Service Member at Grand View Blvd. Elementary
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Eddie Valadez
he/him
California Climate Action Corps Service Member at 99th St Elementary
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Casey Kahalas
she/her
Operations Assistant
Board of Directors
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Lizzy Porter
Chair
Sustainability Consultant
Urban Farming Entrepreneur -
Colette Dill-Lerner
Treasurer
Management Consultant, Marketing
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Lydia Fisher
Secretary
Product Marketing, Microsoft
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Lydia Olivier
M.Arch, LEED BD+C
Founder, Wilshire Crest School Garden -
Sarah Portnoy
Associate Professor, USC Department of Spanish and Portuguese
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Sami Sciacqua Natsis
Manager, Deloitte Consulting
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Marissa Quintero
Junior Analyst, Canvas Worldwide
B.S. Environmental Economics and Policy, UC Berkeley -
Justine Kruse
Sustainability Manager, Califia Farms
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Nancy Alfaro
2023 and 2024 Board Fellow
MBA Candidate, UCLA Anderson School of Management
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Grace Seekins
2024 Board Fellow
MBA Candidate, UCLA Anderson School of Management
