Our Ben Jones Community Gardens enrich our campus and local community with green spaces to relax and connect. They also offer an opportunity for Orange residents of all ages to come together and learn about agriculture, food practices, ecology, and all things green in our beloved city. The HUUB is proud to host monthly garden volunteer days from Spring through Fall. Since 2022, we have also held our annual Harvest Fest, a free, public event where we give back to Orange locals.

Currently, our community gardens can be found in three different areas. On the south side of our building, between the Sanctuary and the school next door, you’ll find the Ben Jones Vegetable Garden and Rose Garden. Along the walkway leading up to the main entrance, you’ll find our native perennial garden. And on the north side of the building, alongside the playground behind Hale House, you’ll find the Ben Jones Rain Garden.

Our gardens honor Ben Jones, Orange’s first elected Black councilmember. Throughout his tenure as Commissioner of Recreation, Jones was a stalwart advocate for the city’s health, both physically and socially. His legacy of care is founded in his advocacy for public amenities, enriching Orange through communal spaces and recreational activities. In his time as councilmember, our city was reported to have more public swimming pools per capita than any other in the eastern United States! In 2009, a section of our home street, Cleveland Street, was also officially named Ben Jones Place in memoriam.

While Ben Jones passed away before the founding of the HUUB, he was a close friend and long-time political ally of many of our founding members. We hope you can all enjoy our gardens with us in his honor.

We’d like to thank our gardeners, past and present, who have helped us create our gardens and tend to our grounds. This has included the wonderful Stephen Panasci, Cesar Presa, Haile Bennett, Sharee Harrison, Sarah Hunt, Holly Barszcz, Darcy Hall, and Theresa Bornstein.