We create and sustain food gardens with residents of affordable housing and homeless shelters.
OUR MISSION
To empower people of modest means and those experiencing homelessness, by supporting resident urban food gardens on affordable housing, homeless shelter properties & raw land
OUR STORY
Starting in 2019, and in now in partnership with Community Corporation of Santa Monica, Holos Communities, and The People Concern, Growing Hope Gardens successfully sustains 15 onsite resident food gardens and a farm!
Each garden varies in size and hardware, in accordance with the spaces in which they live. We innovated by launching wicking beds in metal stock tanks, creating growing possibilities for garden spaces to thrive with no nearby access to water.
All of the resident gardens are supported with educational micro workshops, led during our garden team’s weekly maintenance visits. The residents learn how to build the wicking beds, amend and water soils, transplant seedlings, plant from seed, identify the plants, harvest, learn hand watering techniques, and prepare and share communal garden-fresh dishes.
Creating sustainable onsite stewardship with hands-on activities, seasonal educational vegetable signage, and our Online Learning Hub portal
OUR WORK
We support residents and their food gardens by:
Providing, at no-cost to them, seasonal seeds and seedlings
Offering scheduled technical garden support. Needs are addressed during our team’s weekly/bi-monthly visits. With various levels of support, including helping assess and address soil health needs, supporting the resident gardeners with replanting and harvesting, sourcing watering hoses, trowels, gloves, watering cans, compost, amendments
Donating just over 100,000 pounds of local organic vegetables to residents in 2021-22-23
Placing in-garden, customized seasonal educational signage with plant info, harvesting techniques, nutritional content, and food preparing tips
Supporting onsite stewardship development by residents
Paid garden & farm work development with unhoused folks. We also advocate for them to receive enhanced social services and housing
Write grants and fundraise to help supplement garden needs
OUR TEAM
Founder & Executive Director
Carolyn Day
Blending her experiences as a volunteer Master Gardener and an Associates degree in Clinical Criminology, Carolyn was inspired to launch Growing Hope Gardens. She also created the Children’s Organic Garden, a free community based children’s gardening program in Topanga and has been involved in supporting many community environmental stewardship and garden projects. Her prior years spent as a professional stuntwoman and circus performer help shape this creative and determined problem solver.
carolyn@growinghopegardens.org
Garden & Farm Team Coordinator
Education & Engagement
Eleu Navarro
Eleu’s decade long experiences as a UC Master Gardener, volunteer at the Venice Learning Garden and former Chair of the Seed Library of Los Angeles (SLOLA), inspire his passion and work for food justice advocacy. He can be found leading our Garden Team’s Maintenance and education efforts as well as the Farm management. He is passionate about sharing his awe for plant life through the growing of our seedlings, gleaning at local markets, and creating video content for our Online Learning Hub.
eleu@growinghopegardens.org
Director of Development
Zach Matheson
Zach solves big problems for small businesses. His career has ranged widely—from psychology research to entrepreneurship, event creation and promotion, heavy equipment operations, and service in both the Army National Guard and the Peace Corps. The result? Boots-on-the-ground research, writing, storytelling, and business development experience you'll never find in a book. Now, Zach gets energized partnering with mission-driven organizations to secure them vital, sustainable funding, so they can concentrate on what matters most: making positive, long-lasting impacts in the lives of the people they serve.
zach@growinghopegardens.org
Garden Team
Fruit trees
Harriet Shaham
As a clinical social worker/therapist and UC Master Gardener, Harriet brings her enthusiasm to the garden with plenty of joy. Many years of helping varied communities deal with stress, depression and frustration has led to her energetic engagement with children and families in the garden. Her gardening experience has focused mostly on addressing needs of school children in her volunteer time and work capacity at EnrichLA. When it comes to her passion, she achieved additional training in pruning and tree and plant care.
Garden Team
Seedling nursery/Lead construction
Spencer Blattel
Spencer Blattel is a gardener, landscaper, and farmer from Topanga, California. Spencer’s interest In gardening and growing food began in his early 20’s. He has worked on organic vegetable production farms in many different locations including California, Colorado, and Israel. Spencer has worked in landscaping crews, has his own landscaping business, and has a small nursery in Topanga called “Topanga Wolf, Farm and Nursery.” Spencer is learning and growing his knowledge and love of horticulture every day.
Jane Monteagle
Thermophilic composting
Jane Monteacgle
A former jail teacher, Jane Monteagle is certified in Permaculture and as a lab-tech with the SoilFoodWeb.com. Passionate about microbe-rich compost, she is studying Soil Consultancy. A citizen scientist, grower, and 36-year resident of Santa Monica, Jane created compostawareness.com, a campaign designed to contribute to that city’s “Net Zero by 2050” goal. Jane recently received a third Santa Monica Civic Well-Being Grant to assist with this endeavor.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Nicole Landers
For more than two decades, Nicole has been an advocate for the environment and human health – and her mission is to guide the next generation into purposeful action.
Formerly served for five-years as the Executive Director of Community Healing Gardens bringing food gardens built with clean technology for children and families in underserved communities of Los Angeles in partnership with LA CleanTech Incubator. Growing three projects from 80 raised garden boxes on the streets of Venice Beach, a 1-acre farm at a Los Angeles Unified middle school and a Park and Recreation 800 square foot barren land turned into a small farm in South LA.
Nicole graduated from the Sustainability Certificate Program at UCLA, is a Climate Reality Leader trained under Vice President Al Gore’s Climate Reality Leadership Corp and a State of CA certified Victory Gardener.
As a marketing maverick and sustainability professional, Nicole brings fifteen years of experience working with nonprofits, beverage and consumer packaged goods brands, clean technology companies creating communication and marketing campaigns that deliver successful return of investment.
Nicole currently resides in Santa Monica. Being on the Board of Growing Hope Gardens Nicole applies her skillset to grow, not just the gardens, but the impact of the organization for the community.
Heather Carter
Heather Carter is the co-CEO of The Riveter and has over a decade of co-CEO and executive-level experience leading venture backed companies in operations, strategy, and expansion both vertically and geographically. She has scaled companies in marketplace, health tech, digital community, and brick & mortar from stages of pre-seed funding through to exits. Heather currently serves as a Board Member at the Beverly Hills Women's Club, Growing Hope Gardens, advisory at Hailo and has served as Backstage Capital mentor.
Carolyn Day
Blending her experiences as a volunteer Master Gardener and an Associates degree in Clinical Criminology, she was inspired to launch Growing Hope Gardens. She also created the Children’s Organic Garden, a free community-based children’s gardening program in Topanga and has been involved in supporting many community environmental stewardship and gardening projects. Her prior years spent as a professional stuntwoman and circus performer helped shape this creative and determined problem solver. who deeply cares about the well-being of our environment and helping others.
“We live in a time when healing for our Earth’s health and our fellow human's hearts is urgent. I truly believe that urban gardens provide essential opportunities to connect with nature and each other and build communities. I see the garden as a great equalizer where everyone is welcome to plant, water and share and harvest.” - Carolyn Day
Bonnie Graves
Bonnie Graves is a long-time member of the nonprofit community in greater Los Angeles, with over twenty years of experience serving the marginalized. Early in life, Bonnie was a supervisor of the overnight shift at Harvard’s University Lutheran Homeless Shelter, an exposure which solidified and amplified her commitment to meeting the needs of the disenfranchised. While in Cambridge, she also chaired the Harvard Outdoor Program, a student-run provider of outdoor field trips and weekly after-school tutoring for children in public housing complexes. In Los Angeles, Graves served on the Board of Directors of the Trevor Project, the country’s leading crisis service provider for LGTBQ youth, for eight years. During her tenure, Graves participated in Trevor’s Executive Committee with direct oversight over internal staffing, program services and budgetary milestones. Graves also co-chaired the Trevor Project Ambassador’s Council, which expanded Trevor’s presence from Los Angeles into eight other US cities.
More recently, Graves served for six years on the Board of Directors for Project Angel Food, LA’s leading provider of medically-tailored meals for critically ill residents. While at PAF, Graves served on the Executive Committee as Secretary with responsibility for 501c3 compliance, Board diversity initiatives and other good governance programs. Graves chaired the annual Angel Awards for three years, the nonprofit’s signature fundraiser, and is proud to have tripled its revenue while reducing the overall cost-of-fundraising. More locally, Graves is a long-time supporter of the Topanga Women’s Circle, a female-led organization headquartered in Topanga Canyon which helps previously unhoused families find safe and dignified homes.
Professionally, Graves is a veteran of the hospitality industry with a special expertise in wine. She’s run her own consulting firm, Girl Meets Grape, since 2005 and is a sought-after sommelier, educator and advisor across the US.
ADVISORY BOARD
Jeff Baker
Clinical Professor of Law and Assistant Dean of Clinical Education and Global Programs Caruso School of Law, Pepperdine University
Collin Palkovitz
Growth Strategy / CEO of Mass Culture / Partner in Pure Charity
Audrey Crouse
Project Director / Bridge Builder / Agent of Change
Maxine Tsang
Design / Art Direction
Randy Ryan
Community Development / Farmer Veteran Coalition / American Heart Association Teaching Gardens