Homeless Garden Project

Who We Serve

The purpose of our programs and activities is to foster connections among all the members of our community. When you visit the farm, you are likely to see a diversity of people: we've given you a sample below.

	Meet Tomas Alejo, SJSU Social Work Intern Tomas Alejo is an intern for HGP and a Masters in Social Work student at San Jose State University. He is a former graduate in sociology and is originally from Watsonville, CA. In addition, he currently works for the Santa Cruz Community Coalition to Overcome Racism (SCCCOR) and volunteers as a youth advocate around Juvenile Justice issues. He is a recent grandfather of 6 month-old, Amaya.
	Meet Marna Cathleen, SJSU Social Work Intern Marna is currently working towards her Masters in Social Work at San Jose State. She has a BA from The California Institute of Integral Studies. Marna has worked with families as a preschool teacher for over 18yrs.She has also worked with teens, alcohol and substance abuse, women's issues. She is passionate about Non Violent Communication and enjoys dancing in her spare time as well as music and movement.
	Meet Laurie, Trainee I have been a trainee at the Homeless Garden Project’s Natural Bridges Farm for nearly a year, and what a wondrous year it has been. The wisdom, knowledge, compassion and support, the camaraderie and bonding, as well as understanding and patience that have been showered upon me is without measure, appreciated, and surprisingly now welcomed. It was not always so...More...
	Meet Betsy, Volunteer She has volunteered over 200 hours in the past year I volunteer to learn, grow and be a part of something that provides Santa Cruz two human staples: food and community, each mutually reinforcing the other. It is a joy to participate in an organization that reaps such benefits for the entire community. Everyday I learn something new; about agriculture, flowers, business, history of the community, or my personal favorite; stories almost as sweet and juicy as our organic, U-pick, best in town, strawberries. I have grown mind, body, and produce. Homeless Garden Project has made me healthier and happier.
	Meet Phil, Volunteer I volunteer at HGP because it makes me feel good. I feel good seeing people, who were previously without a home, with little or no income, working on the farm; planting crops, cutting flowers, pulling weeds, building the Farm Stand, making bouquets, harvesting vegetables, enjoying a meal together, laughing, and impressing me when they tell me the scientific name of some plant or weed that I'm about to pull or harvest. These people have decided to change their lives for the better, and it feels really good to be around them, to participate in my small way as a volunteer farm hand, enjoying being part of something beautiful, which includes the natural wonders of farming and being around people who are making a positive change in their lives.
	Meet Food What?!, Volunteer Group FOOD, WHAT?! is a youth empowerment program using food, through sustainable agriculture and health, as the vehicle for bringing about personal growth and transformation. They partner with teenage youth to grow, cook, eat and distribute healthy sustainably raised food. These revolutionary acts serve to empower youth to realize their full potentials, to enjoy life, and serve as grounds for hard skill and leadership development. Every summer, the Food What crew spends their Thursdays with us out at the farm. More...