Aug 26, 2024 by IDEX Health & Science

 

In 2021, several volunteers from the IDEX Health & Science team in Rochester, NY began a community garden to provide fresh produce for employees behind the Center of Excellence (COE) Facility on John Street. Khalil Aboushama, an Optical Filters Manufacturing Associate, had previously maintained a garden of his own at another IDEX facility in Gates, NY. Once the COE location opened, Khalil wanted to continue the service for his coworkers.

“Before you go to the supermarket,” Khalil advised, “check here first! I like [planting] something that a person will eat and benefit from.”

Inspired by his enthusiasm for gardening, other IH&S team members partnered with Khalil to start a new garden. “From the beginning, [Khalil] had a plan in his head, and we tried to make that happen the best we could,” said Nick Pennise, a Manufacturing Engineering Technician. Nick is pictured above with a sampling of last summer’s bountiful harvest.

The garden features a variety of vegetation which has flourished thanks to last year’s efforts installing raised beds. Volunteers also planted several fruit trees which should bear fruit in the coming years.

Watch our garden tour, and the full interview with volunteers, here:

Three years later, our community garden lives on! Even the fruit trees planted in 2021 are now bearing actual fruit. Thank you to all our volunteers for their continued care and dedicated efforts!

Be sure to check back for additional updates as we get closer to harvest time!

See Behind the Scenes Footage from Installing our Garden in 2021

Learn more about IDEX Health & Science’s Sustainability Efforts