Name: Wyckoff House Museum
What They Do: The Wyckoff House Museum encompasses 1.25 acres of land consisting of native plant gardens; vegetable, herb, and flower beds; compost systems; bees; and fruit and nut trees. The museum uses educational and farm-based programs to build cultural and agricultural connections within the community, emphasizing immigration, family, food, and community through history. Programs provided by the museum include hosting school or camp field trips, free family days each month, a youth Garden Apprentice Program, farmers’ markets, and farm-based workshops.
How They Do It:
- During school visits, students explore, ask questions, and participate in hands-on activities such as seed planting and butter churning.
- Every third Saturday of the month is Family Day. Families receive free entry to the museum and engage in seasonal activities including scavenger hunts, gardening, and artifact investigation.
- A paid Garden Apprentice Program is offered each summer. Apprentices are youth between the ages of 15 and 18 living in East Flatbush and Canarsie. Responsibilities including weeding, composting, harvesting, operating the weekly farmstand and helping to facilitate community workshops.
- A community farmers’ market is open every Saturday from June to November. The Wyckoff House sells produce grown in its gardens, and other local vendors sell their own homemade snacks and crafts. The farmers’ markets also incorporate demonstrations and hands-on workshops for adults on topics such as fermentation, medicinal herbs, and hearth cooking.
Mission: To provide education and hands-on experiences that create cultural and agricultural connections in the community.
Latest project/campaign: Community Farmstand, Garden Apprentice Program
Major Funding: Department of Cultural Affairs
Profit/nonprofit: Nonprofit
Annual Revenue: N/A
Interesting fact about how they are working to positively affect the food system: More than 5,000 students of all ages visit the museum each year through school trips.
FACT SHEET:
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Core Programs: School field trips, farmers’ markets, free family day programs, garden volunteering, youth apprenticeship program, summer camps, homesteading workshops
Number of staff: 4
Number of volunteers: 5+
Number of coworking members: N/A
Areas served: Brooklyn
Year Started: 1974
Director: Melissa Branfman
Contact Information: (718) 629-5400, https://www.instagram.com/wyckoffmuseum, https://www.facebook.com/wyckoffmuseum
Website: https://www.wyckoffmuseum.org
