The Care Farming Network is proud to feature care farms from across North America in our member directory. You can view our national directory by clicking on “Find A Farm” in the menu above. To contact this care farm directly, you can find their website and/or social media links in their listing below:
We’re a nonprofit organization based in Santa Cruz with a mission to build a thriving and inclusive community, workforce, and local food system. Our mission is to provide people experiencing homelessness with the tools they need to build a home in the world. We employ people experiencing homelessness to work on our 3.5 acre farm. We believe gardening is essential for helping individuals heal, grow, and thrive. The farm is a healing place and our work fills basic needs like nourishing people. It provides a sense of purpose and control over one’s life, which is often missing for those who experience homelessness.
In May of 1990, the Citizens Committee for the Homeless, a Santa Cruz County nonprofit organization, began a new project by opening the gates of an organic garden on Pelton Avenue. The Homeless Garden Project would provide job training and meaningful work in a therapeutic environment. The Homeless Garden Project began as a place to provide sanctuary, refuge, and meaningful work within the healing space of the organic farm. Blossoming over time and furthering the project’s benefits, the farm harvests have provided an opportunity to support our vision and community through our CSA program, farm stand, and crafts, which are sold at our local Santa Cruz stores & online. We not only provide transitional employment, we also provide social work case management services to our participants as well as lunch Tues-Fri! Our program is one year long, and 93% of folks who graduate find employment! We are genuinely humbled by the profound transformations our trainees make in our job training program, and the generous support provided by our community. Our purpose-driven nonprofit has proven to be a benefit to our neighbors in need, our community, and our environment. We couldn’t have done this without the continued generosity and support of our donors, volunteers, and CSA members.
