West Hill Refugee Welcome Center
Albany, New York
The Refugee Welcome Center has been working to expand its gardens and orchards, creating green spaces that directly support their immediate community and local refugee families. These spaces provide not only fresh food, but also places for connection, healing, and resilience.
Sunray Sustainability has been proud to support this effort—helping with design, construction, and installation of gardens and orchards, as well as coordinating volunteers, grant writing, and building connections with community partners.
The RWC understands that neighborhood revitalization is more than just repairing buildings—it’s about improving structures and adding green spaces that bring physical, mental, social, and environmental benefits to the whole community.
Phase 1 was made possible through support from the Historic Albany Foundation’s Tool Lending Library, and the work of volunteers who contributed hundreds of hours of collective work. Funding from the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) provided materials, and together we built the foundation for a growing project that will continue to strengthen the neighborhood.
Phase 2
Over 40 students and professors from SUNY Albany’s Center for Global Health’s GLOCAL Initiative joined for a day of service, bringing fresh energy to the gardens and surrounding neighborhood. Together, we cleared trash from several city blocks, spread wood chips and compost, pruned fruit trees, and prepared the plots for the growing season. Sunray Sustainability helped guide the workday and offered a short talk on local self-reliance—highlighting how green spaces can provide food, manage organic waste, and strengthen community life.
Phase 3
With the gardens now established, this phase focused on growing, maintaining, and strengthening the work from earlier stages. Harvests are underway, and we’ll continue sharing updates and photos throughout the season.
This year, we refined the garden layout, supported greenhouse propagation, and provided ongoing maintenance. We also deepened connections with community volunteers, including RPI’s Habitat for Humanity Club and other local groups who contributed their time and energy.
The work is ongoing, and Phase 4 will build on this momentum through an even stronger partnership between the Refugee Welcome Center and Sunray Sustainability—expanding support for the creation, care, and growth of these vital community spaces.
