Join in the Family Fun at the Green Thumbs Nuit Vert Event

Enjoy a fun-filled night for the entire family at Green Thumbs’ 2016 Nuit Vert event. On September, 10^th during the Cabbagetown Festival in Toronto, kids and adults can join in the free Nuit Vert event in the Winchester School Community Garden. The event promises to be a great time, with tasty treats, storytelling, songs and community building around the fire.

This Nuit Vert event is just one of the many projects that Green Thumbs Growing Kids offers to the Toronto community. The non-profit organization was started in 1999 by Sunday Harrison. The mission of the charity is to bring knowledge and skills to urban youth and their families on how to grow healthy, sustainable foods and prepare them for optimal nutrition. The group is run by a board of directors and utilizes many volunteers from the community to meet their mission and goals.

Green Thumbs – Sustainability in Action

Green Thumbs offers environmental education and gardening classes to many inner-city neighbourhoods and schools in east downtown sections of Toronto. The organization is available through four inner-city schools and in two park sites around Cabbagetown, St. James Town and Regent Park. These programs allow kids to learn about plants and gardening in a hands-on environment – skills and knowledge that they can use for the rest of their lives. Some of the programs include “Kids Growing”, which is done through the schools during the day. “Urban Roots Youth” is an after school and summer program for kids. There is also “Grownups Gardening” that helps engage the parents and other adults within the community. There are workshops and other enterprises available for anyone interested in learning more about sustainable gardening.

Night of Fun at Nuit Vert

The Green Thumb’s Nuit Vert event is open to everyone and should be plenty of fun for the whole family. The event is sponsored by Step by Step Family Foot Care and is free to attend. The festivities will begin on Saturday, September 10^th at 6 pm and go until 9 pm during the CabbageTown Festival at the Winchester School in the Community Garden. Some of the entertainment and offerings at the event include:

• Dancing performed by Indigenous dancer, Jolene May, to Honour the Land
• Enjoy a Black River spritzer and sample many other tasty treats during the event
• Sit around the fire and enjoy the night with family and friends
• MyA Tran, the Melody Lounge Host from the Gladstone Hotel will be leading the singing portion of the evening. Feel free to sing along!
• Catalyst Centre storyteller Chris Cavanaugh will be sharing earth tales as part of the entertainment
• Join in art-making fun to decorate the garden and make it even more beautiful for the city

This is a great opportunity to have a fun night out with the family and see firsthand the great work that Green Thumbs does in the community. This program has helped so many children and their families over the years. In 2014 alone, Green Thumbs had 455 hours of quality programs that included 3,285 children, 505 adults and 480 youth from Toronto’s inner-city. It is incredible to see what can be accomplished when a community comes together to support and educate their families.

To attend, come to the Winchester School Community Garden at 15 Prospect Street, located at the corner of Winchester Street and Rose Avenue, just east of Parliament Street. It should be a wonderful family-fun event that kids, teens and adults can all enjoy.