Baylor Community Garden: Impact Report

Introduction

Since its revitalization beginning August 2023, the Baylor Community Garden has contributed significantly to flourishing on campus and in Waco.  Below is an overview of the impact through June 2025 in areas such as education, volunteering, outreach, community partnerships, and media coverage.  After significant growth in the 2023-2024 academic year, the garden experienced accelerated momentum in partnership with the creative leadership of Andrea Valdez (Program Manager 2024-2025).

Reoccurring Service Groups Involved: (17)

  • Campus Kitchen
  • Better Together
  • FILSA
  • Baylor Medical Student Association (BMSA)
  • GAIN
  • Environmental Law
  • AKA
  • APO
  • GSA
  • Chapel
  • CHIS
  • Vietnamese Student Association (VSA)
  • Dental Student Association (DSA)
  • CCHPI
  • Zeta Phi Beta
  • GAIN
  • Upsilon Pi Epsilon

Interactive Class Visits, Tours, and Service 
(14 in 2024-2025, Often Multiple Visits Per Class):

  • Environmental Science: Doug Nesmith’s PPS 1100 Community Garden Classes
  • Environmental Science: ENV 1301 Exploring Environmental Issues (class workshop for 15 sections)
  • Environmental Science: Julie King’s ENV 4309 Environmental Justice class
  • Environmental Science: Julie King’s ENV 2376 Environment and Society class
  • English: Dr. Joshua King’s ENG 4365 Literature and Environmental Justice Class
  • History: Dr. Elesha Coffman’s HIS 1300 US in Global Perspective “American Food, from Maíz to Momofuku” (EHUM)
  • Education/Social Work: Dr. Stephanie Boddie's LEAD 7v21/ EDC 5390 "Education from a Gardener's Perspective" class
  • Social Work: Dr. Stephanie Boddie’s SWO 4322: Social Policy Social Work Practice (EHUM) class workshops
  • Political Science: Dr. Colby Humphrey’s PSC 4330 Urban Political Processes class
  • Law: Bridget Fuselier’s LAW 9317 Land Use Regulation Class
  • Modern Languages and Cultures: Dr. Jake Abell's FRE 2320: Passport French—Speaking World class
  • Theatre Arts: Prof. Sarah Mosher's THEA 4306 Research Methods in Sustainable Design class
  • Biology: Dr. Tammy Adair’s BIO 4331 Scientific Leadership: Food and the Environment class
  • Seinan Gakuin University (Japan) student group visit, directed by Prof. Yoshiko Gaines 

Community and School Educational Tours (3 in 2025):

  • Better Living for Texans: La Puerta Health Course (for elderly women and families), April 2025
  • K-12 School: The Humanist Academy (Dallas, TX), April 2025
  • Symposium Celebrating Culture, Agriculture, and the Earth (April 22)

Community Workshops and Outreach Events (3 in 2024-2025):

  • Composting Volunteer Workshop: in collaboration with Environmental Science, Environmental Humanities, and Urban REAP (Feb, 2024)
  • Container Gardening: In collaboration with McLennan Country Master Gardeners. (April, 2025)
  • Stop Food Waste Day: Educational Outreach in collaboration with Chartwells Dining and Moonshot Composting, April 2025

Class Projects / Directed Student Learning (13 in 2024-2025):

  • Art and Art History: Stencil Creation to Support Artistic Expression at the Garden, Prof. Tina Linville’s class
  • Engineering: Water Catchment Repair Water Catchment Project by Brian Thomas’s ME 4V97 Special Projects in Mechanical Engineering class, Summer
  • Engineering: Water Catchment Project by Dr. Min Pack’s ME 4V97 Special Projects in Mechanical Engineering class
  • English: Dr. Kristi Humphrey’s ENG 1310 Research and Writing (Food, Faith, and Flourishing)
  • English: Monarch Waystation Project by Dr. Joshua King’s ENG 4365 Literature and Environmental Justice class
  • Environmental Science: Nocturnal Pollinator Project
  • Environmental Science: Native Central Texas Pollinator Database
  • Environmental Science: Doug Nesmith’s and Dr. Matthew Whelan’s ENV 4313 Agricultural Ecology class
  • Social Work: Program Evaluation for Program Evaluation Course taught by Courtney Howarth at the Graduate School of Social Work and Director of the Hunger Data Lab for the Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty.
  • Applied Sociology: Redesigning data collection with Dr. Jodien Johnson’s SOC 3325 Environmental Sociology class
  • Professional Writing: Dr. Sara Dye’s PWR 3318 Professional & Workplace Writing: semester-long project developing signage and advertising materials for Garden
  • Community Composter Course Certification: Baylor student Josh Ninan creating a vermicomposting system.
  • Community Student Project: A student from Crawford High School presented on the Community Garden to her class.

Additional Internal and Community Partnerships (7 in 2024-2025):

  • Student Government: Funding for new Greenhouse and C02-Absorbing Mural
  • Creative Waco: Mural Project
  • Studio Art: Graphic Design with Professor Gerano Solis-Rivero
  • Coordination with Chartwells and Dining Halls: Maddie Whitmore
  • Church Under the Bridge: Kinley Slone, Community Garden consulting
  • Pinnacle Coatings Group: For the donation of Graphenstone C02-absorbing paint.
  • Texas A&M Extension: April Strickland, Extension Agent for Better Living for Texans
University, Community and Student Events at Garden (8 in 2024-2025):

Adopt-a-Bed Program (launched Fall 2024):

We lease 12 plots for individuals to grow their own food, which are all claimed. All 12 are being tended by PhD students, from both within and outside the Graduate Housing Community at Browning Square. 

  • 4 are cared for by extended family with small children, and 6 are tended by international students growing culturally relevant produce.
  • In a survey of program participants, 50% said they spend 1-2 hours weekly and 37% reported devoting 2-4 hours weekly. They identified access to fresh produce, increased mental health, and expert, attentive advice of the program manager as the chief benefits of the program.

Volunteer Data (August 2023 through June 2025):

On average, we have hosted 30-40 volunteers weekly during Wednesday and Saturday volunteer hours.  Since August 2023, nearly 4,000 people have volunteered and participated in programming at the garden. This accounts for 2,609 participants in educational workshops, special events, and tours, and 1,145 recorded volunteer hours.

Garden Metrics (August 2023 through June 2025):

  • Produce Harvested: 844 lbs.
  • Waste Diverted from Landfill: 8,891 lbs.
  • Compost Created: 5,000 lbs.

Delivery of Produce to University and Community:

  • The Baylor Store (to address on-campus food insecurity)
  • Partners in the community, currently Family of Faith Worship Center (including their Farmacy project, a drivable, moving market of fresh food accompanied by food demonstrations)
  • Texas A&M: Better Living for Texas Extension Program: For the use in healthy cooking demonstrations at local non-profits and Waco ISD Schools.
  • Isaiah House: A non-profit that provides physical and emotional support in a safe and loving home for children awaiting placement.
  • Naomi House: The Naomi House is a temporary place of refuge for families as they prepare for the next steps in their asylum-seeking journey.

Garden Distinctions and Acknowledgements (5 in 2025):

  • Texan by Nature- Spring 2025
  • Monarch Waystation Certification- Spring 2025
  • Monarch Waystation- Nonprofit Scholarship for Native Milkweed
  • Tree Campus USA: Installed orchard and led a service day as a prerequisite for the certification (November 2025)
  • Bee Campus USA: Planted native plants and milkweeds from the scholarship as a prerequisite for the certification (March 2025)

Media Mentions (18 news reports since August 2023; 15 in 2024-2025): 

Environmental Humanities

College of Arts & Sciences

 
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