About Filbert Street Garden
Rooted in community, education, and environmental stewardship
Filbert Street Garden is a community-centered green space in Curtis Bay where recreation, education, food sovereignty, urban wildlife stewardship, and neighborhood connection come together.
Mission Statement
Why Filbert Street Garden exists
Filbert Street Garden (FSG) is dedicated to empowering Curtis Bay and surrounding neighborhoods through accessible recreation, educational programs, and urban wildlife initiatives, while confronting food insecurity, bridging the digital divide, promoting environmental justice, and expanding vocational opportunities.
Our People
The team behind Filbert Street Garden
Filbert Street Garden is supported by staff, trustees, board leadership, and longtime volunteers who help care for the space and strengthen its role in the Curtis Bay community.
Amber Peters
Community Engagement & Communications Coordinator
Amber Peters joined Filbert Street Garden in March 2025. She is a certified Master Naturalist, Chesapeake Watershed Steward, and brings a strong background in biology and biotechnology.
Amber helps organize events, educational programs, and food pantry initiatives while also leading the garden’s communications and social media outreach.
Kelly Kicherer
Garden Coordinator
Kelly Kicherer is a Baltimore City Master Gardener with extensive hands-on training and continuing education. She has been with Filbert Street Garden since July 2024.
Kelly manages the Youth Steward Program, the Production Garden, and the Community Garden while focusing on native planting, invasive reduction, and seasonal garden care.
Jennifer Huie
Animal Husbandry Trustee
Jennifer Huie has lived in Curtis Bay since 2007, began volunteering at the garden in 2022, and became officially employed in 2024.
With more than 30 years of animal care experience, she supports animal husbandry, field trips, garden maintenance, volunteer groups, and day-to-day operations across the site.
Kharey Gayle
Animal Husbandry Coordinator
Kharey Gayle is an Animal Science and Agribusiness professional with more than 20 years of experience in animal care and sustainable food systems in Jamaica and the United States.
At Filbert Street Garden, he oversees daily animal care while helping connect visitors, students, stewards, and volunteers to practical knowledge about urban agriculture and humane animal husbandry.
Charles DeBarber
Beekeeper
Charles has been a volunteer at Filbert Street Garden for a decade and helped introduce the bees, chickens, ducks, goats, and turkeys to the garden.
He manages the beeyard, supports grant writing and infrastructure projects, and has helped shape many of the animal habitats across the site. He is also a U.S. Army veteran.
Collier Slade
Treasurer | Board Member
Collier Slade has volunteered at Filbert Street Garden since 2017 and currently serves on the Board as Treasurer.
He believes in the power of green space to unite and rejuvenate people of all ages, and he is known for stepping in wherever help is needed around the garden.
Derrick Wood
President | Board of Directors
Derrick is President of the Filbert Street Garden Board of Directors and has served the garden for more than five years.
He has helped support the garden’s growth, expansion, and development and is passionate about person-centered strategies that create sustainable change in Curtis Bay.
Laurie Anderson
Community Liaison Trustee
Laurie Anderson serves as Community Liaison Trustee and supports Filbert Street Garden’s connection to neighbors, partners, and the wider community.
Her role helps strengthen communication, engagement, and the collaborative spirit that keeps the garden rooted in service.
Community First
A garden shaped by the people it serves
Filbert Street Garden continues to evolve alongside the Curtis Bay community. What began as a neighborhood green space has become a place for environmental learning, animal care, food access, volunteer service, and meaningful connection.
Every part of the garden reflects a shared commitment to creating something practical, welcoming, and lasting for South Baltimore.