Our History

The history of HGNC began in 1981 with a demonstration garden at 5150 Wayne Avenue funded by a federal grant from the Neighbors Community Program.

In the 1990s the City of Philadelphia razed the house at 5148 Wayne Avenue, making the garden at 5150 impossible to use. Former garden members and neighbors joined in 2001 to develop a vision of a community garden and nature center that would serve the Germantown community. In 2002, the Hansberry Garden & Nature Center Steering Committee was formed and began clearing the land, organizing, and fundraising.

Later that year, Philadelphia Green put up a fence, and raised beds were built with funds from Community Gardens Project. The Hansberry Garden & Nature Center, Inc., became designated a 501(c)(3) organization under federal law in July of 2004. In 2008, 5148 Wayne Avenue was purchased by HGNC, and the city recently turned over the deed to 5148.

Our Mission

The Hansberry Garden and Nature Center will be an educational community resource center for environmental education in the Wayne/Hansberry region of Germantown. The mission of the nature center is to:

• Promote awareness and appreciation of the natural world;
• Promote understanding of the natural cycles and behavior of plants and animals;
• Engender the values and attitudes among people that foster responsible stewardship of our urban environment.

Our Board

Claudia Ginanni, President

Claudia Ginanni has lived in Southwest Germantown since 2004, joined Hansberry Garden and Nature Center in 2013, and has learned a great deal about raised-bed gardening from fellow gardeners. She takes pride in raising vigorous tomato seedlings with big, fat, hairy stems. An enthusiastic cook who loves heirloom vegetables, she enjoys experimenting with various kinds of home fermentation. In 2022, she became a founding member of HGNC’s Gardening Collective.

Kelly Dillon, Secretary

Sarah M. Getz, Treasurer

Sarah Getz, who identifies herself as the Hippie Accountant, is a veteran of the nonprofit universe with over 25 years of experience in finance, human resources and bookkeeping for the greater good. A longtime resident of Germantown and an avid gardener, she has recently moved to a house within walking distance of Hansberry Garden. She looks forward to tending its books with the same care she lavishes on the cherry tomatoes she plants in front of her home to share with passersby.

Dennis Barnebey, Kelly Green Project Lead

Dennis Barnebey is a 40-year resident of southwest Germantown. After 32 years at the Philadelphia School District, Dennis spent seven years working for the child-advocacy organization Public Citizens for Children and Youth (PCCY), focusing on education issues. In 2010, Dennis became an active member of HGNC and is currently chairing the Kelly Green Project.

Dan Crozier, Board Member and Maintenance Co-Chair

Sandra Guillory, Board Member and Chair of Fundraising and Resource Development

Sandra Guillory has worked in Germantown since 2009 at Depaul USA, a national homeless service organization. Since 2021, she’s also lived in Germantown within walking distance of the garden and joined as a member in 2022. She grows native plants for pollinators at home and vegetables for her family at Hansberry. Sandra splits her volunteer time between Hansberry Garden and Radical Adventure Riders (RAR) Philadelphia, leading rides in the Wissahickon Valley and locally, believing that community must be cultivated in connection with the land.

Anthony James, Board Member

Heather Levi, Board Member and Maintenance Co-Chair

Heather Levi has lived in Southwest Germantown since moving to Philadelphia in 2008 and has been a member of the Hansberry Garden since 2013. A retired anthropologist, she enjoys telling people more than they need to know about heirloom pepper and tomato varieties. She has served as the Garden’s unofficial compost czar since 2020. She became a founding member and facilitator of the Gardening Collective in 2022. In 2026, she is pursuing Master Gardener certification through the Penn State Extension program.

Desiree Thompson, Board Member and City Harvest Chair

Desiree Thompson works at the intersection of community care and resource access. She creates tools that help people reconnect with their bodies, the land, and each other. Her work focuses on urban agriculture, place-based programming, and preserving neighborhood cultural legacies. She currently serves as Operations Manager at Germantown United CDC. From 2020-2025, she was the co-organizer of Philly Herb Hub, a free community apothecary serving Black Philadelphians.

Ann Torockio, Board Member and Membership Chair

Ann brings community passion and technical expertise to the role. She works professionally as a web technologist, crafting digital experiences that connect people and organizations. Her commitment to teamwork extends beyond the digital realm—she’s competed locally and internationally in dragon boat racing. A garden member since 2018, she’s developed a keen eye for identifying invasive weeds common to the neighborhood and an enthusiastic appreciation for cute vegetables. Whether navigating complex projects or garden beds, Ann approaches every challenge with curiosity, creativity, and collaboration.