Secretary Ross speaks at the Homeless Garden Project event.
By Jake Donahue, Santa Cruz Sentinel
Nearly 200 people gathered Saturday afternoon at a small urban farm that is the heart of a local organization helping Santa Cruz’ homeless get back on their feet.
The Homeless Garden Project has found new ways to help combat a decades old problem in the area by providing training and resources through urban farming.
“What you’re doing here, the fact that you’re growing food, that people are learning a skill, they’re having therapy … this is what we can do when we come together around food,” said California Secretary of Agriculture Karen Ross speaking at the Homeless Garden Project’s second annual Sustain Supper.
“What you’re doing here, the fact that you’re growing food, that people are learning a skill, they’re having therapy … this is what we can do when we come together around food.
– CDFA Secretary Karen Ross
The comments from California’s top agricultural authority are added to multiple regional acknowledgements including a 2016 Edible Monterey Bay Local Hero Award. The project offers transitional services, and job skills training to Santa Cruz area homeless.
“The agriculture community is really rallying behind the Homeless Garden Project concept,” said Paul Goldberg, development director at the Homeless Garden Project. “And to have Karen Ross (speak) that’s really an embodiment of how we fit in to the state’s agriculture industry.”
Saturday’s event aimed to help continue the organization’s work, serving as a fundraiser where they hoped to raise around $10,000 in private donations from community members in attendance.
“Private donations really make up the bulk of our funding and events like this are great door openers for the community,” said Darrie Ganzhorn, the organizations executive director who joined the Homeless Garden Project in 1991.
Founded in 1990 the organization takes area homeless and gives them paid jobs on their farm on the Westside of Santa Cruz. There they learn job skills and gain experience with a farm operation that produced more than 4,000 pounds of produce last year.
“They (also) get to learn retail skills, and customer service and communication skills and that extends their work experience,” said Angie Smith who organizes the organization’s retail division. “To be realistic Santa Cruz’ three top jobs are retail, hospitality and food service so teaching retail skills has really helped a lot of trainees get jobs.”
The Homeless Garden Project holds job placement as a top priority.
“This program really gave me a good foothold, a good head start,” said Laurie Soderman who graduated from the year long program this June.
Soderman became aware of the organization while serving time in the Santa Cruz County Jail during 2015. She’s calls the experience life changing.
“The thing here where I got to find myself again is that the garden shows you by example,” said Soderman. “Its simple, its forgiving, its ever growing, no matter what happens it’s there.”
In addition to the staff provided training and other resources, Soderman says perhaps the most powerful teacher in the program is the garden itself.
“Every day there’s these little metaphors that happen in the garden that’s simulating what’s happening in your life and if you’re paying attention you get to learn how to live your life just by watching the garden,” said Soderman.
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