Hello everyone, my name is Chris and I’m forty-seven years old. Today I’m going to tell you my story – a journey that has taken me from the depths of despair to a place of hope and gratitude. It’s a story shaped by unique experiences across different continents and cultures. I’ve had to leave out many, many details for times …
Journey to Recovery and Fatherhood
My name is Frank Daly. I’m a trainee at the Homeless Garden Project. I want to start off by thanking Darrie and all of the management for giving me the honor to talk a little bit about myself and the role I play at HGP. I was raised here, in Santa Cruz. The last 20 years of my adult life …
A Home Away from Home
I left home after the tremendous family loss of my mother, and then my dog. I spent the next 5 years just running around partying, not caring about much, but I had my friends and my grandma to back me up. I was fine living on the side of the mountain year after year, all wet in the rain. But …
Alyson’s Story: How MLK Uplifts and Inspires
When Darrie first asked me to speak today, at first I thought I might not be the best person for it. After giving it some thought I remembered Martin Luther King Jr. had said “As my sufferings mounted I soon realized that there were two ways that I could respond to my situation: either to react with bitterness or seek …
Moving from Disconnection to Connection
I would like to start by saying it means a lot to be here right now. As a matter of fact, me being up here is the completion of something that started over two years ago when I was first a part of this garden. I was offered an opportunity to give a talk for a benefit just like this, …
Reconnecting With Myself
Good Afternoon Everyone and Welcome to the Cesar Chavez Day of service here at the Homeless Garden Projects Farm. So how was lunch? Let’s thank 1440 for providing us with such an outstanding & nourishing lunch! First-off I would like to thank each and everyone of you for not only taking the time to show up… but putting in the …
Peace and Connection on the Farm
Good afternoon, welcome to the Natural Bridges Farm. My name is Eric, I’ve been a trainee here at HGP for the past 10 months. I initially came to the garden because I needed income. I came out here from Colorado to be with my girlfriend & help her get out of the homelessness she was stuck in. We were living …
The Farm Nourishes Me
Hello, my name is Doug, I have been at the Homeless Garden Project since May. I grew up on the east coast, and have a construction, and restaurant background. I moved to California about ten years ago, and even though I had experience, it was hard for me to find work. The Homeless Garden Project gets people from all different …
All the Beauty in Me
When I was preparing for this talk, it was important to me that all of you here as guests at our Sustain Supper would get my very best. I wanted to speak in a way that you could see my excitement about my experience here, but also see how important the program is in our community. This program excites me, …
We Grow So Many Wonderful Things Together at HGP
“Let us not pray to be sheltered from dangers but to be fearless in facing them.”