A community organization and workers’ cooperative mobilizing community-led revitalization on the East Side of Buffalo, NY.
East Side Stewards is a community organization and cooperative transforming Buffalo’s East Side into a thriving, sustainable community by revitalizing green space, redeveloping unbuilt lots into community assets, facilitating green workforce development, and equitably redistributing resources. East Side Stewards aims to restore the environmental and social health of an area that has long faced systemic disinvestment and ecological degradation through centering environmental justice, stewardship, and community empowerment.
About ESS
Upcoming Events
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Autumn Harvest Festival
October 26th | 2-5pm
91 Winslow Ave, Buffalo, NY 14208
Join us for a community celebration of the bountiful harvest season. We’ll have pumpkin painting and carving, apple picking, crafts, garden games, hay bale photos, and more. So, gather your friends and family!
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Give Thanks Giveaway
November 13th, 14th, and 25th | Buffalo, NY
We invite you to join us in supporting Buffalo families this season. Together with community partners, we’re providing turkeys, produce, winter outerwear, and weatherization kits to help our neighbors prepare for Buffalo’s winters.
Stewarded Spaces
CS53 Community Garden & Outdoor Learning Lab
CAgrO Urban Farm
Bailey-Dartmouth Community Garden
Our Programs
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Build and Sustain
We turn vacant or neglected land into vibrant, sustainable community spaces. Whether it’s an urban farm, a schoolyard garden, a pocket park, or a green gathering space, our team is here to design, build, and activate it with care and intention.
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Junior Bison
A program blending outdoor exploration and science, teaching ecology, sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, recycling, woodworking, and community stewardship.
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Buffalo Keepers
A pioneering program empowering teens and young adults to lead community projects, fostering leadership, teamwork, and problem-solving in environmental stewardship.
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Workshops
Our workshops program equips community members with hands-on skills in sustainable urban development, environmental justice, and cooperative economics.
Our East Side Footprint
Become An ESS Team Member
East Side Stewards, LLC operates out of a workers’ cooperative model, meaning all our staff mutually benefit from the wealth our collective labor generates. If you are dedicated to equitable, sustainable community development and education models, join us!
