GrowGood, Inc

GrowGood's Urban Agriculture Training Program Coordinator, Danny Garcia, was recently featured as an "Everyday Hero" in a Spectrum News story, which you can watch here: https://lnkd.in/gfh7g92h Danny is the reason we do what we do. Through our Urban Ag Training Program, we provide individuals with barriers to employment the opportunity to gain (or regain) work experience, learn new & transferrable skills, and earn income. Danny first started coming to the GrowGood Farm while he was enrolled at the Bell Shelter's Wellness Center (a Drug Medi-Cal Residential Recovery Program). The Wellness Center participants are required to take two classes each week at the farm through our Food for Life Ecotherapy program. Danny loved the farm, and so he started volunteering to help while he was completing his Wellness program. When he completed the program, we enrolled him in our Urban Ag Training Program. After 200-hours in the program, we saw his incredible passion for our work, his talent for leading , and his empathy and compassion for others. We thought he would make an amazing Program Coordinator, serving as a mentor and guide for the trainees. Danny rents a room in Sylmar, and takes the bus everyday to get to the farm. It takes him over 2 hours each way to get here. Danny shows up early every single day. He is always smiling, sharing stories, and is an incredible worker. To us, Danny has always been a hero, from the moment he stepped foot onto the farm. And we are so glad that everyone else gets to hear his story to know that he truly is an Everyday Hero.

Earlier this month we had the pleasure of hosting a team from Weaver at the farm for a corporate day of service. They learned about our programs, and were able to experience a "day in the life" of GrowGood. They helped with prepping beds, preparing the field where our hoop house will soon be built, seeding, and prepping our hydroponic systems for the next round of seedlings. Their support enabled us to quickly tackle some big projects, but more importantly, it raises awareness about the importance of the work we do in the realms of food equity, environmental justice, jobs and skills training, and access to green space for wellness. Thank you to Team Weaver for joining us at the farm, willingness to get your hands dirty, and for the many laughs we all shared!

It's #givingtuesday! Please consider supporting GrowGood on this International Day of Giving. Your support will enable us to greatly increase our impact in 2024 by growing more food, expanding our mission-based food distribution, adding more jobs and skills training, creating new Food for Life Wellness classes, and offering more farm-based workshops and events. And, to do all of this, we need your help! Every dollar matters and every donor is incredibly appreciated. You can support us at: https://lnkd.in/gpmpiaYQ

Always so grateful for our amazing community of volunteers!