Where Does Your Garden Grow?

Foothold Partners Across the Nation Are Supporting Clients Through Gardening Programs

At long last, spring has sprung! Which means–among many other fine things–gardeners are getting out their trowels and rakes, and turning the soil for the planting season ahead. Foothold Technology is a family of gardeners, just take a look at the transformative project we undertook last June. We are inspired by how many of our client agencies have thriving and innovative gardening programs, and we want to share a few stand outs:

The Urban Farm Horticultural Program at The Bridge in New York City has three urban farms, one in the Bronx and two in East Harlem. Partnering with The Horticultural Society of NY, these programs provide produce for clients, offer skills for paid employment, and promote health and well-being. In February, The Burpee Foundation awarded The Bridge a $25k grant to support the program and expand greenhouse capability so it can continue to thrive all year round. To learn more about the terrific gardening work The Bridge is doing through their gardening program, click here.

Hopewell is a therapeutic farm community for adults with mental illness in Mesopotamia, OH. Residents work alongside staff in the agency’s gardens, which provide produce to eat as well as surplus for the local farmers market. They also care for a cadre of laying hens as well as cows, pigs, sheep, and occasionally turkeys! Plus there was the recent tapping of the maple trees for the sugaring season–always a sure sign of spring. To learn more about the harvest at Hopewell, take a look here.

The Urban Farm Initiative run by Services for the UnderServed (SUS) in New York City was recently awarded a generous $441k grant from the NYS BIP Transformation Fund to expand their programming.

“The program will create a three-track curriculum in urban agriculture, landscaping, and food services teaching practical, job-oriented skills to adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities.”

This in addition to the ongoing activities of cultivating produce to share among residents and supporting positive job opportunities to encourage independence. Read more about about the growth of this already successful gardening program here.

With all this inspiration from our client agencies, I think it’s time to sign off, find my sun hat, pick up my seeds, hijack a shovel, and head outdoors!