Charles DeBarber

Charles serves as the Animal Husbandry Coordinator at Filbert Street Garden. Although he is mainly a beekeeper by expertise, he also looks after their other animals including goats, sheep, chicken, turkeys, and ducks, the majority of which are rescue livestock.

Charles has been volunteering at the garden for almost 8 years and is a firm believer in service. He has overseen the distribution of free food to our community, worked with WAVES to set up their free community WiFi FilbertNet. He has also worked closely with the community’s animal rescue services and animal control to re-home animals on-site at Filbert Street or elsewhere.

Additionally, Charles has mentored dozens of beekeepers over the years and assisted in the planning and conducting of numerous free events for the community such as Easter Egg Hunts, Seasonal Celebrations, Movie Nights, and more.

Charles is also a veteran, and has dealt with some struggles with anxiety as a result. He firmly advocates for nature and mental health.

I can without a date say the garden helped save my life. There is no better place in the world to help me find balance. No matter how anxious I am, I can visit my hives and open one for an inspection. I can hear the soft in unison buzz… Smell the beeswax and honey… Nothing makes me calmer. In winter when my hives hibernate, I have a large ball of smelly old beeswax on my desk. I take it and breath it in to remember and think about my dreams for spring.