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22
July 23 • 2015
JN
Yad Ezra to build indoor
greenhouse for food, education
and opportunities.
Gabriella Burman
Special to the Jewish News
T
he city of Berkley's planning
department has given Yad
Ezra the green light to build
a greenhouse at its headquarters on 11
Mile Road.
"It will be the first greenhouse in our
city," said Amy Vansen, city planner.
"There are community gardens and
food projects going on in Berkley, but
this will be the first indoor, year-round
garden:"
Yad Ezra anticipates that annually
hundreds of community members of
all ages will visit the greenhouse, which
is expected to be completed in 2016.
The commercial-grade greenhouse,
designed by Team4Community L3C (a
Low-Profit Limited Liability Company)
will encompass both the growing of
produce and community education
initiatives on sustainability, food pov-
erty and urban farming. A greenhouse
manager will coordinate volunteer
experiences and implement a Jewish
education curriculum with a focus on
farming.
The project marks a substantial leap
forward for Yad Ezra, founded in 1990
as the state's only kosher food pan-
try. Today, the organization provides
approximately 3,000 needy individuals
with groceries and health care items
each month.
"We've wanted to reach out to the
greater community and take on the
issue of food justice for some time
now," said Lea Luger, Yad Ezra's execu-
tive director. "By doing so, it opens a
new portal for engagement with Yad
Ezra, especially among a younger
demographic. In addition to volun-
teering in our warehouse, delivering
groceries or holding a food drive, there
will now be a variety of ways to get
involved:' she said. "Building a green-
house allows people to see what we do
in a holistic light:'
Yad Ezra secured funding for the
greenhouse through a $100,000 gift
from Matt and Nicole Lester, and a
$400,000 grant over three years from
the Fisher Family Foundation. The
combined funds will both construct
the greenhouse as well as facilitate the
hiring of the greenhouse manager. The
greenhouse will officially be known as
the Fisher Foundation Giving Gardens
Project featuring the Geri Lester
Greenhouse.
Matt Lester of Bloomfield Hills, CEO
of Princeton Enterprises, a real estate
investment firm, committed the funds
to the greenhouse after he and his wife,
Nicole, an officer on Yad Ezra's board of
directors, were the organization's din-
ner honorees in 2013.
"We wanted to be involved in the
greenhouse because we believe in Yad
Ezra's mission. It's a jewel in our com-
munity, a highly efficient, well-run
organization with a warm, friendly,
grassroots feel. And, as farmers our-
selves, we loved the idea of food pro-
duced on site, of giving people a way
to be personally involved in the orga-
nization, and of turning the campus
into a destination for learning about
nutrition:"
Furthermore, Lester said, "It's the
perfect facility to bear my mother's
name. She was a true green thumb.
She spent countless hours gardening,
and she had a magic touch, even with
plants like orchids that normally don't
grow in this climate
David Sherman, co-chair of the Max
M. & Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation,
says the educational and universal
aspects of the greenhouse convinced
foundation members to "get on board:'
"Showing that we can provide food
for others and also teach sustainability
raises awareness of Yad Ezra beyond
the Jewish community, and we were
happy to get involved," Sherman said.
Luger hopes the public will be simi-
larly excited to engage with Yad Ezra in
new ways once the construction of the
greenhouse is complete.
"Our core mission is to put food on
the shelf:' she said. "But we want to
take full advantage of ways for people
to spend meaningful time here
❑