UNITY GARDENS INC
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Mission Statement
Unity Gardens' unique dignified free food model has connected our community to fresh produce for 14 years in the St. Joseph and Marshall County through ~40+ open, free pick gardens, free wellness programs & classes reaching thousands of families & children to reduce food insecurity & social isolation. In addition to the community that harvests and interacts with programs in our gardens, we invest in future generations through a robust internship program, connecting future generations to the joys of gardening, teaching, nature, food justice, and environmental sustainability.
About This Cause
“How can we provide food security while empowering those we help? What if we could reshape the narrative of the soup kitchen and erase the line separating us from those we serve? Is there a way to make better use of city spaces, creating green places in underserved communities?” In 2008, Sara Stewart was searching for answers to these questions in her capacity as a Professor of Community Health Nursing and an expert on the culture of poverty. She sought answers through conversations with the homeless population of Saint Joseph County. Through the combination of their experience and her expertise, she conceived Unity Gardens’ edible park model and began, quite literally, to dig in. Since then, the Unity Gardens model supports over 40 open neighborhood Unity gardens throughout St. Joseph County in addition to the LaSalle Square Unity Garden- a seven-acre urban ecosystem, supporting chickens, goats, bee hives, a few acres of native wildflowers (a pollination and monarch butterfly migration station), and 2 acres of edible garden which anyone may harvest freely – an oasis flourishing in one of the most severe food deserts in the state of Indiana. The mission of the Unity Gardens is to connect our community to healthy food, nature, and one another. Through the 7 acre flagship Unity Garden on the west side of South Bend, we support the ~ 40 neighborhood Unity Gardens by guiding their efforts, sharing their stories and harnessing donations of seeds, plants, and materials to facilitate their growth. Our summer wellness programs help us invest in future generations. Free Garden Camp, paid summer internships, Chef Demos and pot luck picnics with recipe sharing, and Garden Guides are formal ways we enhance our community’s connections. In addition to our formal classes on gardening; nutrition, harvesting, chicken care and more , we host more than 500 service groups in the garden every year! We are literally growing community. We promote community health and public wellness: Physically – Increasing access to fresh produce by supporting the growth of open gardens & hosting free classes connecting our community to fresh produce ground to mouth Socially – Creating environments & opportunities for diverse people to gather & work together for common good Economically- Investing in future generations through experiential learning, creating local food hubs and growing opportunities Environmentally- Greening the city, growing urban ecosystems with natural resources; a health & wellness placemaking model.