Community Gardens

With a generous grant, A Rocha USA is facilitating a community gardening project, planting in communities across America: Philadelphia, PA; Fredericksburg, TX; Lynden, WA; Lexington, KY; and Santa Barbara, CA.

The project, while focused on gardening, is about much more—namely, helping people, churches and groups of all kinds to become both good stewards of God’s good creation and good neighbors to those with whom we share it. And what better way to start than by putting a little green (and red, orange and yellow) in the concrete jungle and a little organic produce on the table of those most in need?

Our lead partners in the effort are:

  • 3rd Street/ London Ferrell Garden, Lexington, Kentucky. Communality, a missional group that lives in the poorest neighborhoods of Lexington and has extensive networks within their churches and schools.

Sorting Produce at London Ferrell garden in Lexington KY Christ Church VBS in Lexington KY

  • Five Loaves Farm, Lynden, Washington. Five Loaves Farm is a community garden situated on the property of Third Christian Reformed Church. Its purpose is to distribute food to those in need, to re-connect with each other and the source of our food, and to experience first-hand the beauty of God's providence.

Lynden A Rocha Urban Gardening

  • Boys & Girls Club of the Texas Hill Country, Fredericksburg, Texas. A new initiative for children to work plots in a vacant adjacent field, learn about plants, and grow their own produce to bring home to their families.

Garden at Boys and Grirls Club Fredericksburg TX New garden at Boys and Girls Club Fredericksburg TX

  • Hunting Park Garden, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Ayuda Community Center, an inner city non-profit dedicated to serving their community in Philadelphia.

Hunting Park Community Garden in Philadelphia Giving the tour of Hunting Park community garden in Philadelphia

  • Santa Barbara A Rocha, Santa Barbara, California. Our own community group with connections to inner city schools and churches.

Moving Dirt at Carpinteria Garden in Santa Barbara, CA  New beds at Capinteria Garden in Santa Barbara CA

Each of the pilot projects is designed to be community owned, holistic and inclusive, and self-sustaining after the initial investment. Once the pilot phase is completed and we’ve learned what works and what doesn’t, we will begin working with groups in other cities to implement it there. For more information and/or to start a garden in your community, please contact us at usa@arocha.org

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