05/30/2026
Sometime last night, someone entered our community garden and destroyed nearly 20 pounds of tomatoes.
Normally, this would be frustrating enough. Gardening takes time, effort, and care. Every tomato represents months of planning, planting, watering, weeding, and hoping.But what makes this especially heartbreaking is that these tomatoes weren't being grown for profit.They were being grown for our neighbors.
Some were even thrown into our goat enclosure.
Many people don't realize that tomato plants and large amounts of tomatoes can be harmful to goats. Thankfully, our goats appear to be okay, but it could have ended very differently.
Every season, O Grows donates fresh produce from our garden to local families experiencing food insecurity. Those tomatoes were destined for dinner tables right here in our community. They were meant for parents trying to stretch a grocery budget, seniors on fixed incomes, and families who deserve access to fresh, healthy food.
When produce is destroyed, it isn't just plants that are lost. It's meals. It's resources. It's an opportunity to help someone who may be struggling.
Thankfully, our volunteers, gardeners, and supporters are resilient. We'll keep planting. We'll keep growing. And we'll keep showing up for our community.
Today we're disappointed, tomorrow we'll get back to growing.
Update⚠️
Many of you have so kindly offered to help donate funds to get a camera system installed. We appreciate you so much! If you would like to make a donation, you can do it at this link:
https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/9RGQEVMYHRBH8
