Meet Our Team

Dwight Lowe

Founder and Executive Director

Dwight Lowe is a passionate community leader, youth mentor, and the visionary founder of Home Beneath Our Feet, Inc. (HBOF). Born and raised on Buffalo’s East Side, Dwight launched HBOF with a clear mission: to empower young people and families through land-based education, environmental justice, and healing-centered engagement.

HBOF started as a small nonprofit rooted in youth programs and a community garden, and has since grown into a movement—offering a range of programs, hosting annual community events, and, as of 2024, launching the HBOF Farm.

Under Dwight’s leadership, HBOF has cultivated dynamic programming that blends hands-on gardening with mentorship, movement, and cultural education. Signature initiatives—including trauma-informed gardening, community farming, “Mentorship Through Fitness,” and the Summer Growth Program—equip youth with the tools to lead healthier, more connected lives. These programs are grounded in the belief that when youth are supported, resourced, and affirmed, they become powerful changemakers within their communities.

In 2022, Dwight was selected as one of 24 leaders to join the Oishei Foundation’s Leaders of Color Fellowship, a regional cohort designed to uplift emerging changemakers of color across Western New York. In 2023, HBOF received a formal proclamation from Erie County Legislator Howard Johnson in recognition of its inclusive, wheelchair-accessible Community Sensory Garden. Designed to promote healing, sensory development, and community connection, the garden also provides free produce in a food desert—just 0.7 miles from the site of the May 14, 2022, Tops Market massacre—supporting neighbors in their journey toward recovery. In continued response to this tragedy, HBOF also partnered with fellow organizations across Western New York to launch an annual Diaper and Hygiene Drive beginning in 2023. Each year, hundreds of essential items are collected and distributed to families, addressing urgent needs with care, compassion, and community solidarity.

Dwight’s innovative approach to community safety and wellness has received national recognition. His work was prominently featured in the 2024 CPTED Handbook, an authoritative resource published by the City of Buffalo that highlights best practices in Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED). The handbook’s inclusion of HBOF underscores its success in using environmental design to foster healing, resilience, and safety.

Further national acknowledgment came from the Everytown Support Fund, which included HBOF in its Wear Orange CPTED 2023 Projects One Year Later report. This publication highlights exemplary projects that use environmental design to prevent violence and enhance community well-being—positioning HBOF as a model for holistic, community-led transformation.

Dwight’s commitment has also been recognized by the media and elected officials. In 2024, he was featured in WGRZ’s “Selfless Among Us” series and received a Congressional Proclamation from U.S. Representative Nicholas Langworthy (NY-23) for his work in youth empowerment and community revitalization.

Most recently, in May 2025, he was honored with a Certificate of Recognition from New York State Senator April N.M. Baskin (63rd Senate District) for co-founding and co-leading the Youth Wellness and Empowerment Summit—a landmark event focused on youth mental health, leadership, and resilience.

Dwight Lowe continues to lead with humility, vision, and unwavering dedication to his community. His work at HBOF is about far more than planting gardens—it’s about cultivating hope, dignity, and opportunity for youth and adults alike. Through every program and partnership, Dwight champions the belief that all people—regardless of age or background—deserve the space, support, and resources to grow, heal, and lead.

Jesse Napierala

Farm Manager

Jesse Napierala is an Environmental Expert with a Passion for Nature Jesse Napierala is a talented Perma culturist, beekeeper, nurseryman, orchardist, and horticulturalist. With a  childhood spent working on farms, Jesse developed a deep appreciation for nature and the art of cultivating food. He earned a certificate in Permaculture Design from Oregon State University and has been managing organic farms for over a decade. Jesse is an avid beekeeper and the proud owner of Earth Eden LLC, a sought-after edible/ecological landscape and self-sustainability consulting service. His dedication to nature inspires him to offer and implement natural solutions to address many of the global issues we face today.

Ebony White

President

Ebony M. White, a native of Buffalo, New York, is an active mother and grandmother. She is a graduate of Empire State College, where she earned an undergraduate degree with a focus on Community Health. Ebony has spent over 20 years addressing social injustices that impact the intellectually disabled, youth, and the community at large, navigating social systems to improve health outcomes. Ebony leads various social impact initiatives that seek to counter the injustices that grossly impact communities of color.

Ebony White is a trauma-informed care champion from the Trauma Informed Care Institute of Buffalo, NY, and a recent graduate of the Institute for Nonprofit Practice, where she earned a certificate in Social Impact Management and Leadership. She is also the founder and CEO of ALIGN Consulting, LLC, a community engagement, organizing, and project management agency. Ebony White is also the Workforce Impact Manager for the Buffalo Center for Health Equity.

On 5/14/2022, Ebony lost her uncle (Heyward Patterson), a beloved community member, due to the white supremacist attack at Tops Market. Despite the pain, anger, and disappointment with the societal impairments faced by her community, she has forged ahead resiliently, continuing to give voice to the lost and silenced due to fear/despair. Ebony’s advocacy has led her to Chair the Community Engagement efforts of the 5/14 Buffalo Massacre Community Coalition and serve on several nonprofit organization boards. Her leadership continues to be defined by a contextual understanding of systems that requires immediate dismantling for systemic equity to prevail.

Cindi McEachon

Vice President

Clement Kwakye

Treasurer

Emere Nieves

Secretary

Cameron Kukla

Board Member