Youth Crew Staff August 2022
Mission
The Kingston YMCA Farm Project's mission is to educate, nourish and connect the Kingston community with our urban farm.
Vision
Our vision is to use the farm as a way to engage young people in the magical and empowering process that is food production. Children and youth are involved in all aspects of food production and farm care: seeding, transplanting, watering, weeding, harvesting, and ultimately preparing and eating. Participants learn how to turn the vegetables they grow into healthy snacks and dishes.
We are committed to racial and economic justice and we are working to create a more equitable food system for all.
Meet our adult Staff
KayCee Wimbish is the Project Director and Farmer of the Kingston YMCA Farm Project. KayCee Wimbish is an educator and farmer and is thrilled to have this opportunity to combine her two passions at the Kingston YMCA Farm Project. She has a Master’s in Education from Bank Street College of Education, and over 10 years of teaching experience. She taught elementary schooI for five years before pursuing her interest in farming. A teacher by nature, she has also taught English as a Second Language to adults, canning and food preservation, and yoga. She has been farming in the Hudson Valley for the past 13 years, working at Hearty Roots Community Farm, a vegetable farm that uses the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model. She also owned and operated the former Awesome Farm, a pasture based animal farm, raising cattle, sheep, turkeys and chickens. KayCee lives in Midtown Kingston with her partner and son. KayCee can be reached at [email protected].
Susan Hereth is the Education Director at the Kingston YMCA Farm Project. Susan holds a BA in geography from SUNY New Paltz and an MS in education from University of Albany. Susan’s strengths are in development and implementation of experiential learning opportunities for students of all ages as well as professional development workshops for educators. In 2010 she received the highest recognition from the US Environmental Protection Agency given to the public- an Environmental Quality Award. Susan is a certified Master Naturalist throughout Cornell University. Susan was the volunteer Chair of the Environmental Literacy Committee for the New York State Outdoor Education Association as well as co-chair for annual conferences in 2009, 2011 and 2015. She serves as an advisor and resource for Teaching the Hudson Valley. She is the former Education Director at Hudson Valley Seed. Susan can be reached at [email protected].
Pat Pellicano is the Community Liaison and Youth Crew Supervisor at the Kingston YMCA Farm Project. Pat joined the Farm Project after a year of volunteering during the height of the pandemic. Pat loves connecting with his neighbors, growing vegetables and appreciating the natural world in its myriad forms. His passion for the environment was sewn while visiting the Catskills as a child and later, after moving to Kingston, Pat has sought to support the interconnectivity between the environment and our local food systems. Pat has been involved with building and supporting the Community Fridges in Kingston and he enjoys being an active member in the community. Pat can be reached at [email protected].
Briana Gary is the Conservation Pathways Coordinator at the Kingston YMCA Farm Project. Briana first joined the farm in 2017 as a youth crew member and has since worked with the farm throughout the years. Through the farm she discovered her passion for environmental conservation and sustainability. She attended Suny New Paltz and holds a bachelors in Geography. In 2021 she served with Americorps in Central Idaho where she worked on a nature preserve further deepening her love for the natural world. Briana’s main role at the farm is to create pathways for youth to discover the environmental conservation field. This position is funded by a USDA NRCS Equity in Conservation Grant. Briana can be reached at [email protected].