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Ohemaa Boateng, a long-time resident of the Jane-Finch community, has been a leading organizer for urban agroecology, social justice, community work, food security, and climate action in Toronto. Ohemaa started her journey into food justice work at Black Creek Community Farm as a farm staff – spearheading the Farm School program, coordinating family and children activities, and leading the weekly farmers markets in front of Jane and Finch Mall and Driftwood Community Centre.

Ohemaa advocated for fair access to fresh locally grown and affordable food, raised awareness of the food injustices experienced in the community by racialized residents, and developed her urban farming skills. In 2014, Ohemaa, alongside the BCCF team, received the Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Award for the innovative work happening at the farm.

Greetings! My name is Leeann, and I am a Farm Educator at the Black Creek Community Farm. I graduated from the University of Guelph-Humber specializing in Media Communications, specializing in Journalism. I have experience working with a plethora of people in the community through facilitating workshops from Harm Reduction to Computer Literacy Skills for Seniors. I have also had the amazing opportunity to partner with Black Creek Community Health Centre while working with youth in Jane and Finch community engaging in cooking activities with youth and the seniors at the farm. I have also done fundraising for the David Suzuki Foundation and volunteered for the Neighbourhood Clean-up with City Counsellor Anthony Peruzza.

I am eager to learn how to grow vegetables, maintain and care for a garden and enhance my communication, service, and facilitation skills. I also look forward to meeting new people, exchanging new ideas, and experiencing new things to do my part in making a difference in food justice and the environment.

I enjoy reading, writing, and researching topics I’m interested in. I am passionate about the arts- speaking, writing, teaching, and performing. Also, I have done theatre acting in the past. For some time I have been looking forward to learning more about agriculture, farming, and planting and it is such an eye-opening, amazing experience to have this opportunity to have a position as a Farm Educator to enhance my skills and someday teach others what I’ve learned.

Mildred Agsaoay is an active resident, volunteer and organizer in the Jane and Finch community for the past 10 years. She is in her third year as Coordinator of the Urban Harvest Program and she hopes to inspire more residents to grow their own food, share their surplus and learn preservation methods as a resilient food practice.

In 2017, she began a Moms Group at the farm and has engaged over 250 parents and their children from low-income families to participate in gardening and a healthy lifestyle program. She is passionate about gardening, reconnecting people back to nature, growing and eating good food.