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

  • Rachel Black

    Executive Director

  • Elizabeth Hall

    Development Director

  • Ann Dang

    Cafeteria to Compost Manager
    Master Gardener

  • Alejandra Mendoza

    Seed to Table Program Manager
    Garden and Education Specialist at Charnock Road Elementary
    Master Gardener

  • Taeya Long

    Garden and Education Specialist at Mary W. Jackson STEAM Multilingual Magnet Elementary
    Master Gardener

  • Janelle Jimenez

    Garden and Education Specialist at Gardner Street Elementary and Rockdale Elementary

  • Perren Carrillo

    Site Lead and Garden and Education Specialist at 24th Street Elementary

  • Joshua Barragan

    Garden and Education Specialist at Wilshire Crest Elementary
    California Climate Action Corps Service Member

  • Christopher Racle

    Garden and Education Specialist at Annalee Elementary and Leapwood Avenue Elementary

  • Rina Abrego

    Cafeteria to Compost Team Member at 24th Street Elementary

  • Jose Villafaña

    Cafeteria to Compost Team Member at Grand View Boulevard Elementary

  • Ramiro Duran

    California Climate Action Corps Service Member at Wilshire Crest Elementary

  • Lusí Ajonjoli

    California Climate Action Corps Service Member at 24th Street Elementary

  • Veronica Martinez

    California Climate Action Corps Service Member at 99th Street Elementary

  • Joon Seo Lee

    Garden and Education Specialist at Grand View Boulevard Elementary

  • Sarah Carbonel

    Garden and Education Specialist at 99th St Elementary

  • Mayra Gonzalez

    Cafeteria to Compost Team Member at 99th Street Elementary

  • Priyankaa Cid

    California Climate Action Corps Service Member at Grand View Boulevard Elementary

  • Katie Ryan

    California Climate Action Corps Service Member at 24th Street Elementary

  • Madelinn Ornelas

    California Climate Action Corps Service Member at 24th Street Elementary

  • Alvaro Hernandez

    California Climate Action Corps Service Member at 24th Street Elementary

  • Abbey Lee

    California Climate Action Corps Service Member at Grand View Boulevard Elementary

  • Eddie Valadez

    California Climate Action Corps Service Member at 99th Street Elementary

  • Casey Kahalas

    Operations Assistant

  • Norma Schull

    Cafeteria to Compost Team Member at Rockdale Elementary

Board of Directors

  • Lizzy Porter

    Chair

    Sustainability Consultant
    Urban Farming Entrepreneur

  • Colette Dill-Lerner

    Treasurer

    Management Consultant, Marketing

  • Lydia Fisher

    Secretary

    Product Marketing, Microsoft

  • Lydia Olivier

    M.Arch, LEED BD+C
    Founder, Wilshire Crest School Garden

  • Sarah Portnoy

    Associate Professor, USC Department of Spanish and Portuguese

  • Sami Sciacqua Natsis

    Manager, Deloitte Consulting

  • Marissa Quintero

    Junior Analyst, Canvas Worldwide
    B.S. Environmental Economics and Policy, UC Berkeley

  • Justine Kruse

    Sustainability Manager, Califia Farms

  • Nancy Alfaro

    2023 and 2024 Board Fellow

    MBA Candidate, UCLA Anderson School of Management

  • Grace Seekins

    2024 Board Fellow

    MBA Candidate, UCLA Anderson School of Management

Partners