Smile Farms opens Garden City campus

BY CAMERYN OAKES

Smile Farms unveiled its 12th campus Tuesday morning, located at Catholic Health’s Mercy Behavioral Health Center in Garden City.

Smile Farms is a nonprofit that employs adults with developmental disabilities at their 12 farm campuses throughout Long Island and the New York Metropolitan Area.

The organization was started by Jim McCann, founder and chairman of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. to mitigate the challenges of disabled individuals facing high rates of unem- ployment, including his own brother.

McCann partnered with Independent Group Living Home in Moriches, New York to open the first Smile Farms campus in 2015.

The newest campus at the behavioral health center includes five raised gardening beds that will be home to crops including lettuces, tomatoes, cucumber, herbs and garlic.

All produce grown at Smile Farms at Catholic Health will be donated to Mercy Hospital’s Family Care Program, which provides food to people who are food insecure.

The event unveiling the new campus was opened with a prayer led by Father Kevin Creagh, who blessed the garden beds to bring nourishment to their community.

Catholic Health CEO Patrick M. O’Shaughnessy said that it is exciting to unveil the garden in May as it is also Mental Health Month, pairing perfectly with the behavioral health center’s initiative of providing treatment for people with mental health conditions, mental illnesses or substance abuse issues.

The garden will be maintained by the center’s patients and O’Shaughnessy said this

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