Long Branch — Coastal Communities Family Success Center announces its annual Strengthening Families Community Garden Kick-off and Health Fair to be held on Saturday, April 20. This free event will offer families breakfast, garden activities, and an opportunity to register for garden plots, cultivating and growing healthy fruits and vegetables at no cost to them throughout the growing season.
Families prepare seeds at the Family Success Center during the annual Mini Greenhouse workshop.
Monmouth County service providers will be on hand to perform free health screenings, distribute updated program information and let families know about resources available to them. The kick-off will take place at the Community Garden located on 7th Avenue between Broadway and Joline from 10 a.m.-1 pm.
“This parent-child activity is a valuable teaching tool. It provides parents and children the opportunity to grow their relationship and organic vegetables contributing to the urban beautification here in Long Branch,” stated Lisa Wilson, the Center’s Executive Director.
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Coastal Communities Family Success Center encourages all individuals and organizations to play a role in making the community a better place for children and families. By ensuring that parents have the knowledge, skills, and resources they need to care for their children, we can help promote children’s social and emotional well-being and prevent child maltreatment within families and communities.
“April is a time to celebrate the important role that communities play in protecting children,” stated Lisa Wilson, “Everyone’s participation is critical. Focusing on ways to build and promote parents and children is the best thing our community can do to prevent child maltreatment and promote optimal child development.”
All are welcome. If you are a service provider interested in participating in the Community Garden Kick-off and Health Fair or a community member or group who would like to volunteer or register for a plot, please contact Lisa Wilson, 732-571-1670 x302 or Dan McKevitt 732-571-1670 x311, or email them at lisa@coastalfsc.org or danil@coastalfsc.org.
Coastal Communities Family Success Center, formerly Long Branch Concordance, a local non-profit agency established in 2004, works with families in the coastal Monmouth region and the surrounding area helping families succeed. To find out more, visit www.coastalfsc.org. They welcome the community to tour their office and Family Success Center at 300 Broadway and the Seventh Avenue Community Garden located on Seventh Avenue between Joline and Broadway in Long Branch.
