Jess helps to guide the hands of Center Ave Y resident, Demetrius (who is visually impaired), to plant tomato seedlings. Once he got the layout of the garden and the hang of things, he was planting faster than Jess!
Grow Pittsburgh is sad to see one of our Community Garden Coordinators, Jessica McNally, leave our ranks at the end of January 2015.
Here are some reflections from Jess, followed by reflections from her City Growers teammates Marisa and Rayden.
Q&A with Jessica
Where are you going?
To be determined…I’ve been indulging in dreams of sun-drenched places where fruit grows on trees in the wintertime, instead of icicles.
What will you miss about working at Grow Pittsburgh?
I will deeply miss being in the company of such passionate and inspirational co-workers. The staff here works incredibly hard, yet still manages to maintain a fun and open work environment. Plus, the incessant flow of birthday cakes (and pies and ice creams). Birthdays are taken very seriously around here.
What’s one lesson you learned at GP that will carry through to whatever happens next?
I’ve learned so many! But here is one: gardens grow good food but gardens also grow good people. The relationships that are formed on garden sites, the conversations neighbors have about making positive changes in their communities…those things are just as precious and delicious as the heirloom tomatoes.
Jess with a giant swiss chard umbrella!
Reflections from Marisa and Rayden
“Jessica came on three years ago and she has been an essential part of our three-person community gardening department from the start. Her ability to engage everyone, and particularly the children, is one of her best qualities. The good vibes and kid-friendly spaces created at the gardens she coordinated in Clairton, Homestead, Lawrenceville and Homewood are a clear result of that skill. She is also extremely organized and meticulous, which has been essential in coordinating the complicated Community Garden Sustainability Fund and getting the Garden Resource Center up and running in two months basically without a hitch. In creating these projects, Jess has really left a legacy at Grow Pittsburgh and I’ve really enjoyed working with her and will miss her cheerful greetings. Best of luck, Jess!” -Marisa Manheim
“Jessica came on at the same time I did, for the same position. We both had a big learning curve but it was so helpful to have someone else in the same boat – to laugh at ridiculous things, to bear the long days, to figure out how to get to all the gardens, and to navigate the budgets and personality clashes at the gardens. I really appreciate that Jess is also a Lit major! She can edit the stuffing out of anything. I’m impressed that she was also working other gigs besides Grow Pittsburgh, and volunteered at all the big deal events in the City. Jess is going to be great at anything she does. Good luck!” -Rayden Sorock