September 6, 2025
From School Grown Farm to School Grown Up
We’ve had countless incredible youth work with FoodShare’s School Grown team over the years. With back-to-school season upon us, and in recognition of our 40th anniversary this year, we want to share about some of the great folks who’ve been a part of this work and what they’re up to now.
School Grown is a schoolyard farming project, growing vegetables and fruits on school rooftops and lawns to create student employment and educational opportunities around urban farming. Getting students involved in seeding, weeding, harvesting and running their own markets is vital for nurturing deep bonds between youth and food. Reading a textbook is great, but little compares to getting soil on your hands or the first harvest of the season.
In 2024, 16 youth worked on the School Grown team growing and harvesting over 25,000 pounds of produce from the farm!
Below, we’re featuring some of the extraordinary youth we’ve had the pleasure of working with over the years, sharing their journey from School Grown Farm to “School Grown Up”.
Jesine Naula 🍅🌿👩🏫
Jesine joined School Grown for two growing seasons in 2018 and 2019. During her time she learned how to grow a variety of crops including tomatoes, cilantro, spinach, onions, squash, kale, beets, green beans, flowers and more! “I had a lot of great experiences at the farm, working in all types of weather: cold, rain, and hot. I learned how to build and fix the waterhole, and even got a certificate!” Jesine shared with us.
She also learned how to use compost to grow her crops, as well as sell fruits and veggies at the weekly on-site market. Some of her most memorable moments from the farm were when the gang would get together for a meal together. “All the laughs, conversations and picnics. We all brought something together as a team and shared our meal and food together,” Jesine said. “I love the team and always love meeting new people. I’ve always got room in my heart.”
While Jesine didn’t continue farming, she certainly took lessons from her time with School Grown with her on her new career journey working at a school. “I like to help the children understand how flower, fruits and vegetables are grown, and show them how to take care of them; how to used the water, dirt and pots,” she shared. “It has been a beautiful experience working here.”
Jesine’s advice for working on a farm — or anywhere else for that matter — is to “just be yourself and have fun meeting new people. Take all the experiences with you and share them with others.”
Huge thanks to Jesine for sharing her experience and wisdom with us. We’re so pleased to hear her School Grown journey has brought her valuable experiences and memories, and even led to her going on to teach the next generation of youth! Who knows, maybe one of them will end up joining School Grown one day, too.
Ekow Stone 🌱💐🚜
Ekow joined School Grown in 2020 and worked with FoodShare full-time until early 2025. He studied Urban Sustainability and Environmental Studies at TMU, so he knew he wanted to work with plants or in the field of ecology, but didn’t know how he wanted it to be applied.
“I wasn’t like, ‘I want to be a farmer’,” Ekow said. “I was just interested in growing food.” He gardened at home but until he enrolled in the Sundance Commons new farmer training program (formerly Growing in the Margins) in the summer of 2019, he had no prior farming experience.
In 2021, Ekow started Earth Known Farm with FoodShare colleague Kevin Tran, growing a range of wildflowers and offering hand-made bouquets. Shout out to Kevin, who’s now running a small-scale flower and Asian vegetable farm, XaLát Farm (@xalatfarm on Instagram) with Michelle Dang.
Throughout his time with FoodShare, Ekow got to know former FoodShare colleague Fianna Dirks quite well, and they became “a rock solid duo.” That’s when their own farming initiative, It’s Giving Farm, was first dreamt up ✨
“My time at FoodShare was instrumental to this journey,” Ekow told us. “BCI farm is the perfect incubator for a farmer. Every mistake you make doesn’t cost you your livelihood. You always will get that bi-weekly cheque. You can experiment and push the boundaries of what you want to learn about and do.”
In February 2023, after many months of hard work and ancitipation, the dream team officially received the keys to their new property with 7 acres of land at the northern tip of Rouge National Urban Park in Altona, ON. Their journey has only just begun!
Ekow’s story shows just what can happen when youth — especially those from marginalized communities — are given opportunities where they can grow and thrive, with support from colleagues and the surrounding community.
Learn more about It’s Giving Farm and support their work at itsgivingfarm.com and @itsgivingfarm on Instagram.
Thank you, Ekow, for sharing your wisdom with us. We can’t wait to see you continue to grow and thrive, just like the beautiful flowers and crops you plant.
Russell Speares 🍏🚒🫶
Russell’s journey with FoodShare began 12 years ago, when he took on a job on the School Grown team at just 16 years old. Over in Scarborough at the now permanently closed Bendale Technical Institute, Russell weeded, planted, and harvested crops, eventually doing everything from selling at the market to maintaining the compost, working in the warehouse, and doing data entry — dabbling into a little bit of everything.
“I even helped FoodShare move from their old location to where they’re at now,” he told us (friends who help you move are keepers!).
Over the years, Russell either worked or volunteered with FoodShare, ultimately joining our Board of Directors in 2018. “I don’t come from an academic background, so I added a different vibe to the Board,” he shared. He sat on the Board for seven years, only leaving because he had reached the maximum term.
“The mission is really important to me,” Russell explained as to why he stuck with us for so long. “It’s more than a food bank; it’s food security. FoodShare works behind the scenes, working on so many different initiatives to help grow the community to be sustainable itself.”
These days, Russell is working towards a career as a firefighter, having completed the pre-service firefighting program and spent the past five years as a volunteer firefighter. When asked what lessons or learnings have stuck with him from his time at FoodShare, Russel shared, “to go out of my comfort zone. I put myself out there when I joined the Board at FoodShare, and I’ve definitely taken that into other aspects of my life.”
Thank you, Russell, for sharing your valuable insights with us. We’re grateful for all your time, energy, and vision over the years.
Big thanks to Jesine, Ekow, and Russell for chatting with us for this series. There’s truly no better way for us to commemorate 40 years of FoodShare than to look back at the wonderful people who’ve made this work possible and contributed so much to our organization and community.
There are many other remarkable youth who have been involved with School Grown over the years that we didn’t have a chance to connect with. Shout out to all current, past, and future School Grown folks who continue to build the future of urban agriculture in our city. We’re so grateful for all your time and contributions to FoodShare and our communities.
