2014 Annual Report: Donors

A Hearty Thank You to All Our Generous Donors. You Make Our Garden Grow! Sustainer of the Garden ($25,000 and over) Quentin Hancock      Newman’s Own Foundation Nurturer of the Garden ($10,000-$24,999) Patrice Boyle      Helen and Will Webster Foundation Monterey Peninsula Foundation, host of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am George L. Shields Foundation, Inc.     …

Each Story Increases Our Understanding

“I regret the times when I neglected those around me, specifically those in need of a small act of kindness or reassurance.” In all of the stories I’ve heard while volunteering for the Homeless Garden Project, this line was one of the most poignant. I’ve come to learn that taking the time to help others starts with understanding the problems …

2014 Annual Report: Our Social Enterprises

Value in our Enterprises Value starts at our farm as trainees nurture the soil, grow vegetables and share the bounty with our community. But trainees gain valuable work skills and continue to add value from our farm to our workshop and retail store, where products are handmade and used to raise money for our projects. Farm Enterprises In 2014 we …

Our Lives Run Parallel

I write this with deepest appreciation to those at the Homeless Garden Project who touched my life with their authenticity and presence: Darrie, Angie, Jes, Naomi, Lindsay, Mike, Chris, Angela, Raven, and the many trainees, community members, and others I worked alongside in the office, workshop, retail store, and farm. I relocated to Santa Cruz in the summer of 2014 …

2014 Annual Report: Training Program

Relationships, engagement, accomplishment and positive emotion all play an integral part in well-being. A strength of our training program is our investment in the whole person, so that trainees can sustain their well being after graduation. This is how trainees describe the effect the Training Program has had on their lives: “Social workers, volunteers, employees, and other trainees are a …

2014 Annual Report: Cultivating Community

2014: Our Volunteer Community Grew This year, we partnered with 2,200 volunteers at the farm, workshop, retail store and office, with a total of nearly 20,000 hours. According to national averages, the estimated service value of our volunteers for 2014 is $405,400! We can’t emphasize enough what an important role this community plays in our daily lives at HGP. We …

A Particular Kind of Magic

Sometimes I feel like the more I learn the less I can put into words. In this case, I worry that my words will not accurately capture all that is good and true about the Homeless Garden Project – an organization that holds a very special place in my As a social work intern, I am constantly amazed by the immense healing …

Circle

On most Tuesday mornings for the last five years or so, I’ve attended “Circle” meetings at the Homeless Garden Project (HGP). Circle is held at the beginning of the work week and is attended by all of the people participating in the Garden’s job training program–members of the small staff, graduates of the program who come back for an occasional …