Kids Right to Know garden in Richmond Hill serves vulnerable, grows conversation

Portion of harvested crops donated to local food banks

Yorkregion.com
Aug. 14, 2023
Melissa Wallace

A 30' x 60' plot of land at Spadina Parkette in Richmond Hill (at Weldrick Road East and Spadina Road) is home to the Kids Right to Know community garden, an educational and productive space allotted by the City of Richmond Hill that provides accessible, fresh food for people in need.

A walk through the foliage-covered arches that welcome visitors displays thriving flowers and crops such as cucumbers, bush beans, garlic, okra, tomatoes, celery, broccoli and corn as well as an herbal tea and pollinator garden.

“It was important to me to provide a space that anybody could come to, ground themselves, bond with others, volunteer and form their own community,” said Rachel Parent, Kids Right to Know founder. “Many have come and said they never talked to any of their neighbours before, but this has become a hub and place to call their own.”

Volunteers sign up for time slots to tend to the garden, and a portion of the harvested crops is donated to the Richmond Hill Community Food Bank, among others.

Last year, the first prototype of the community garden was approximately a quarter of its current size, said Parent, but in three short, growing months, the non-profit provided more than 500 pounds of food for donation. This year, they received a larger space and hope it serves to educate the public -- especially youth -- about environmental issues, including ways to protect and plant for pollinators, methods for growing organic crops and regenerative agriculture models.

Parent founded Kids Right to Know, believing that everyone should have the "right to know" about the environment, agriculture, climate change and animal welfare. From a young age, she became passionate about protecting animals and began researching animal cruelty and welfare. This led her to research genetically modified organisms (GMOs) for a Grade 6 presentation and start her own non-profit.

“It was all about teaching kids about the importance of healthy eating and transparency in our food system,” said Parent. “Something that really concerned me growing up was not being able to tell which foods were genetically modified and which ones weren’t, so I’ve been advocating for mandatory GMO labelling.

“It’s a strange topic to take on as a kid because it’s so complex, but I felt we all deserve to have the simple right to know what’s in our food.”

Though she now lives in Richmond Hill, in her youth, she attended a school in Kettleby that contributed to vulnerable members of society through food drives.

“I was very conscious that people weren’t necessarily lucky enough to have fresh food all the time and it stuck with me growing up,” said Parent. “It also puts me in a position to stand up for people who are struggling.

“This is my small contribution and I’m happy to be a part of it.”