Homeless Garden Project Retail Store brings organic homemade products to Santa Cruzans made by people who need the help. At the new traffic circle close to the wharf, retail store opened its doors Friday for the first “Sweets and Treats” party. Over 120 people got a jump on their holiday shopping as they sampled locally-donated wines and project-made organic treats, …

A recently built toolshed, thousands of seedlings, new trainees—signs of a new season abound at the Homeless Garden Project’s farm near Natural Bridges in Santa Cruz as executive director Darrie Ganzhorn leads a tour, pointing out the nuts and bolts of what makes this organic garden grow. But it is the larger story of what this garden has nurtured over …