La Mesa Verde Garden Education
Sacred Heart Community Services
About the Project
Sacred Heart Community Services’ "La Mesa Verde" is a network of gardeners committed to improving the local food system. Open Space Authority grant funds helped strengthen La Mesa Verde’s introductory gardening curriculum, making it more effective, interactive and consistent with the goal to encourage community leadership and power. The project resulted in an engaging gardening curriculum that builds gardening skills, increases environmental awareness and grows social connections that inspire a passion and commitment to local food justice.
“We see the garden as a vehicle for social change. Gardening impacts community members in so many ways beyond physical health. There’s social health! Connecting people to other members of the community! Our participants currently speak eight different languages at home - this program helps introduce them to other members they may not have met. It helps to know you are connected and part of something.”
