Who We Are
The Hansberry Garden and Nature Center (HGNC) is a community garden and resource for environmental education in the heart of Philadelphia’s Southwest Germantown, located on the corner of Wayne Avenue and Hansberry Street at 5150 Wayne Avenue.
We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization invested in our community through organic gardening, the City Harvest Program of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, and educational programs for children and adults. Members are residents of Southwest Germantown.
History, Mission, and Leadership
Our History
The history of HGNC began in 1981 with a demonstration garden at 5150 Wayne Avenue funded by a federal grant from the Neighbors Community Program.
In the 1990s the City of Philadelphia razed the house at 5148 Wayne Avenue, making the garden at 5150 impossible to use. Former garden members and neighbors joined in 2001 to develop a vision of a community garden and nature center that would serve the Germantown community. In 2002, the Hansberry Garden & Nature Center Steering Committee was formed and began clearing the land, organizing, and fundraising.
Later that year, Philadelphia Green put up a fence, and raised beds were built with funds from Community Gardens Project. The Hansberry Garden & Nature Center, Inc., became designated a 501(c)(3) organization under federal law in July of 2004. In 2008, 5148 Wayne Avenue was purchased by HGNC, and the city recently turned over the deed to 5148.
Our Mission
The Hansberry Garden and Nature Center will be an educational community resource center for environmental education in the Wayne/Hansberry region of Germantown. The mission of the nature center is to:
- Promote awareness and appreciation of the natural world;
- Promote understanding of the natural cycles and behavior of plants and animals;
- Engender the values and attitudes among people that foster responsible stewardship of our urban environment.
Our Board
Claudia Ginanni, President
Claudia Ginanni has lived in Southwest Germantown since 2004, joined Hansberry Garden and Nature Center in 2013, and has learned a great deal about raised-bed gardening from fellow gardeners. She takes pride in raising vigorous tomato seedlings with big, fat, hairy stems. An enthusiastic cook who loves heirloom vegetables, she enjoys experimenting with various kinds of home fermentation. In 2022, she became a founding member of HGNC’s Gardening Collective.
Kathy Miller, Secretary and Co-chair of Events and Programs
Kathy Miller was a board member for the first 10 years of HGNC, six as secretary and three as president. For several years she served as co-chair of the Land Use Master Plan Committee, which was commissioned to redesign our garden space to be more useful and beautiful. She is rejoining the Board in gratitude for the wonderful camaraderie, delicious food, and community activism that HGNC inspires. Kathy is a psychologist in private practice, enjoys trying new recipes for healthy food and outrageous desserts, and has been a member of the Philadelphia Women’s Health Collective for 45 years.
Sarah M. Getz, Treasurer
Sarah Getz, who identifies herself as the Hippie Accountant, is a veteran of the nonprofit universe with over 25 years of experience in finance, human resources and bookkeeping for the greater good. A longtime resident of Germantown and an avid gardener, she has recently moved to a house within walking distance of Hansberry Garden. She looks forward to tending its books with the same care she lavishes on the cherry tomatoes she plants in front of her home to share with passersby.
Sandra Guillory, Board Member and Chair of Fundraising and Resource Development
Sandra Guillory has worked in Germantown since 2009 at Depaul USA, a national homeless service organization. Since 2021, she’s also lived in Germantown within walking distance of the garden and joined as a member in 2022. She grows native plants for pollinators at home and vegetables for her family at Hansberry. Sandra splits her volunteer time between Hansberry Garden and Radical Adventure Riders (RAR) Philadelphia, leading rides in the Wissahickon Valley and locally, believing that community must be cultivated in connection with the land.
Dennis Barnebey, Kelly Green Project Lead
Dennis Barnebey is a 40-year resident of southwest Germantown. After 32 years at the Philadelphia School District, Dennis spent seven years working for the child-advocacy organization Public Citizens for Children and Youth (PCCY), focusing on education issues. In 2010, Dennis became an active member of HGNC and is currently chairing the Kelly Green Project.
Dan Crozier, Board Member and Maintenance Co-Chair
Heather Levi, Board Member and Maintenance Co-Chair
Heather Levi has lived in Southwest Germantown since moving to Philadelphia in 2008 and has
been a member of the Hansberry Garden since 2013. A retired anthropologist, she enjoys
telling people more than they need to know about heirloom pepper and tomato varieties. She
has served as the Garden’s unofficial compost czar since 2020. She became a founding member
and co-facilitator of the Gardening Collective in 2022.