Maya McFadden Photo
Jonathón Savage.
Jonathón Savage, a Newhallville-raised urban gardener, has taken the helm of one of the city’s leading green organizations, Gather New Haven.
Gather — a nonprofit created in a merger of the New Haven Land Trust and New Haven Farms — announced Savage’s appointment as executive director in a press release issued Thursday. He succeeds Brent Peterkin. Gather operates five community farms and 45 community gardens.
Savage joined Gather as farm manager in 2021. In an interview at the time, the Newhallville native recalled most of his neighbors having home gardens and using the produce for a healthier and cost-effective way of putting food on their tables. About half of his grandparents’ property was farmed, supporting about 30 relatives. By age 4, Savage had learned the basics of tending a garden from watching his grandmother weed and harvest. At age 6 Savage dug up his own garden in his Ford Street backyard. He began growing strawberries, tomatoes, peppers, and collard greens just the way he watched his grandparents do. At Gather, which helps people in Newhallville develop gardens and greenspaces, Savage aimed to help a new generation of neighbors grow their food.
So happy for the Gather community and especially for Jonathón. He radiates calm and kindness and purpose. They are stewards of a lot of our land (in Newhallville but also everywhere!), and I hope Jonathón at the helm can bring an era of abundance to the organization.