Quest recently organized a lunch-and-learn event at its Secaucus headquarters featuring Stephen Ritz, the founder of Green Bronx Machine (GBM). GBM is making a significant impact by promoting health equity in underserved communities through school-based vegetable gardening, and Quest is supporting this effort as part of its Quest for Health Equity (Q4HE) initiative.
Ritz delivered an inspiring presentation about GBM’s goal of fostering healthy, resilient, and equitable communities by leveraging the power of food. GBM transforms classrooms into interactive agricultural spaces, using the Tower Garden to teach students how to grow their own vegetables and witness the process from seed to harvest, resulting in nutritious, fresh food.
Jim Davis, Chairman, CEO & President of Quest Diagnostics, stated, "Green Bronx Machine is built on the belief that healthy students contribute to healthy schools, which are essential to healthy communities. Our collaboration with GBM exemplifies how we are fulfilling our Purpose—working together to create a healthier world, one life at a time."
Attendees also enjoyed an exclusive preview of Ritz’s award-winning documentary, *Generation Growth*, which showcases how nutrition education and access to healthy food can transform communities.
Quest Diagnostics Foundation first partnered with GBM in 2022 through Q4HE, providing a grant to help GBM reach 30 schools across Colorado, Ohio, and New York. In April, an additional grant was awarded to expand the program to 50 more schools—25 in Baltimore and 25 in Houston.
A highlight of the event was the unveiling of Quest’s very own Tower Garden in its Secaucus office. This vertical, indoor garden allows plants to grow stacked in layers, making it possible to cultivate fresh vegetables in the building’s lobby. The produce grown in Quest’s Tower Garden will be donated to Oasis, a nonprofit organization in Paterson, NJ, dedicated to helping women and children overcome poverty.
Click here if you would like to know more about Quest’s work with Green Bronx Machine through the Q4HE initiative.