Our Mission and Vision

Mission Statement

The Brain Food Garden Project is a peer-led and managed program dedicated to empowering individuals in the mental health community and other marginalized groups. We champion mindful eating and gardening as vital tools for behavioral health recovery, believing in a person-centered approach that promotes constructive dialogue. Our mission is to create safe, accessible green spaces for healing, empower peers to grow food for themselves and their communities, advocate for policy changes that improve food access, and support research into the powerful connection between food and mental health.

Vision Statement

Brain Food Garden Project, will build urban green spaces which will provide those with lived mental health experience and their communities with opportunities to connect, garden, and grow while creating conversations around Mindful Eating. Our vision is to develop a network of NYC community gardens managed by people with mental health lived expertise that serves the following purposes:

Creates safe spaces for people with lived experience to grow food for themselves and their communities.
Promotes gardening as a healing tool for recovery.
Encourages community dialogue around mental health, stigma, and trauma.
Creates a first-of-its-kind CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) geared to those living with mental health concerns.
Provides access to fresh fruits and vegetables to communities navigating through food apartheid.
Provides employment and leadership opportunities for NYS Certified Peer Advocates.