In 1995, I was a teenager. I was homeless with my boyfriend. I was camping out at Antonelli Pond when I came across the Homeless Garden Project. There were a few employees. I went there for water. It felt like a safe place. They seemed to welcome the homeless. I remember visiting often. Later on in the years, I noticed …
On November 23, 2024, HGP hosted its annual Holiday Celebration, screening the documentary film Food, Inc. 2 and a talk by author Eric Schlosser at the 418 Project in downtown Santa Cruz. Before the event, HGP welcomed Chris Beresh and Kyle Franks to speak of their experience with the program. Below are their talks: Good evening, My name is Christopher …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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, …
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 …
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 …
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 …
