Growing Community and Harvesting Memories, One Seed at a Time

Plattsburgh, NY — Small flecks of rain were broken up with persistent rays of sunshine as BHSN’s Community Roots Garden officially took root on Thursday, July 9, 2026, at the Center for Well-Being in Morrisonville, NY.

Behavioral Health Services North invited community members to join as it welcomed this new addition to its Plattsburgh campus. Assemblyman Michael Cashman, representatives from the City of Plattsburgh as well as the Governor’s Office, BHSN’s CEO Katherine Cook, garden volunteers, and individuals served were all in attendance. Cook, Cashman, and garden facilitator Jason Redmond shared a few inspiring words on what this garden means to our local community as it made its debut.

Cook emphasized that “food is the true act of faith; when you plant a seed, you are putting faith into the world that it will grow.”

“This garden represents connection: everyone can grow here. I can't think of a more fitting space to accompany the work [BHSN does],” said Cashman.

These beautiful words were spoken prior to the ribbon-cutting ceremony, where a thematic, burlap ribbon was sheered in half with a giant pair of novelty scissors.

Following the symbolic “snip,” event attendees made their way up to the garden beds where they enjoyed light refreshments while admiring the vibrant green sprouts lining each plot of soil.

The kick-off event saw an incredible turnout, with Assemblyman Cashman even rolling up his metaphorical sleeves and contributing to the garden too.

The Community Roots Garden is a 100% volunteer-run collaboration between BHSN, the individuals we serve, and local volunteers. It is built on a model of shared abundance: as a token of BHSN's appreciation, volunteers may reap 40% of the produce when it is time to harvest, while individuals served by BHSN programs will benefit from the remaining 60%. In time, the team involved with the garden hope to extend the harvest to local food shelves, such as JCEO, the Plattsburgh Interfaith Food Shelf, and St. Joseph’s Church, to help those outside the organization’s walls who are struggling with food insecurity.

“We are trying to make a positive difference in the health and food security of our community -- which includes the people we serve, the community at large, and our employees,” said Jason Redmond, BHSN’s Development & Grant Specialist and facilitator of the Community Roots Garden.

In addition to the volunteers’ hard work, this garden is made possible by generous sponsorships provided by partnering organizations.

The Square Foot Gardening Foundation offers a practical, low-cost solution to food insecurity by enabling individuals, families, schools, and communities to grow significant amounts of fresh produce in small spaces using minimal land, water, and resources. This is specifically designed to be accessible to people with limited gardening experience, limited physical ability, and limited access to traditional growing space.

The Square Foot Gardening Foundation gifted this project a $2,500 grant to construct and fill 15 raised garden beds. These beds include tomatoes, lettuce, squash, beans, and much more. Plattsburgh’s local Runnings pledged a $1,000 in-kind donation to help BHSN equip the garden with deer fencing to mitigate wildlife from helping themselves to the planted fruits and vegetables.

By transforming small parcels of land, vacant lots, school grounds, a

nd even urban spaces into productive gardens, communities can increase access to nutritious food, build self-sufficiency, reduce grocery costs, and strengthen local food resilience. BHSN is proud to be one of these sites.

BHSN is still actively inviting community partners to join the growth and sponsor their very own garden bed. To do so, please reach out via jredmond@bhsn.org.