Homeless Garden Project

09/02/2026

Here is Farmer Mike giving us a full lesson on how to properly create our soil mixture for our greenhouse! At our 3.5 acre certified organic farm, we start all our own seedlings by hand! Mike’s skills are an integral part of our farm training program for people experiencing homelessness and joblessness in Santa Cruz.

Want to get more involved? Our farm is open for volunteers and Upick from 10am to 4pm Tuesday through Sunday. We are located on the westside of Santa Cruz on Shaffer Rd.

See ya soon!

Homeless Garden Project Farm Stand Homeless Garden Project Store

08/31/2026

Early Bird ticket pricing for our October 24th from 3-6:30PM farm-to-table dinner on our Natural Bridges Farm ends on September 7th!

Pay discounted prices and join us to rejoice in community while supporting people experiencing homelessness. Your evening will begin by enjoying live music and sipping on local unique beverages and wine options while having the opportunity to join us on a tour of the farm. You will then dine on a delicious meal crafted by Chef Adam Young and will leave inspired after listening to Matthew Beaudin, our keynote speaker, and one of our HGP trainees. Both Chef Adam and Matthew have a long history with the Monterey Bay Aquarium and it’s Seafood Watch program, so this meal will feature sustainably sourced seafood alongside our fresh organic produce from the Farm. We will also feature vegan options so everyone will leave well fed!

Stay tuned for the menu reveal!

To learn more about the event and to buy tickets click here: https://bit.ly/OCT24sustainsupper

08/30/2026

We’re hiring: Pathways to Work Program Manager
The Homeless Garden Project is launching Pathways to Work, a new low-barrier workforce development program designed to help people experiencing homelessness build job readiness, stability, confidence, and connections to employment—all while contributing to the vitality of downtown Santa Cruz.
We’re looking for an experienced, compassionate Program Manager to lead this new initiative. This is a hands-on opportunity to build and shape a program from the ground up, combining program leadership, case management, workforce development, training, team supervision, and community engagement.
The Program Manager will:
• Lead day-to-day program operations and supervise Crew Leads and participants
• Provide trauma-informed case management, coaching, and employment support
• Develop and facilitate weekly job-readiness training
• Support participants in building workplace skills, confidence, and stability
• Develop relationships with downtown businesses, service providers, and community partners
• Track outcomes and continually strengthen the program
We’re looking for someone with experience in social services, workforce development, or a related field, who is an excellent communicator and organizer, comfortable supervising and coaching others, and deeply committed to treating every participant with dignity and respect.
This is an exciting time to join HGP as we expand our workforce development work while building toward our permanent farm and community site.
If you’re passionate about creating pathways to employment and helping people build stability, purpose, and belonging, we’d love to hear from you. More info--see whole job description and application instructions: https://bit.ly/PtWManager

08/26/2026

Week #17 of CSA and Feed Two Birds harvest was a great success! CSA stands for: Community Supported Agriculture. People buy a whole season of produce in January, paying us in advance for a weekly supply of vegetables from May-Oct. Feed Two Birds is our donation program where over half of the produce on our farm gets picked up by local non profits such as: Senderos SCCBHMI Encompass Community Services Housing Matters Grey Bears Santa Cruz County, Calif. and Monarch Services. Each non profit uses the produce (pictured here) to deliver healthy food to their clients!

Last year, we produced over 36,000 pounds of produce and over half of that was donated.

Thanks for being a part of what we do! Please donate if you can, and stop by our stores or farm stand soon!

08/25/2026

We’re so excited to celebrate the wonderful Princess Leon, our Transforming Futures Intern who has joined the Homeless Garden Project team and immediately become part of the family!

Over the past 10 weeks, Princess has supported every aspect of our organization. She has worked at the farm, assisting with CSA harvests, connecting with the farm crew, and taking high quality pictures; at our workshop making products; in our office, doing community outreach and event planning; and even at our store! In every department, she has exceeded all expectations, bringing positivity, high standards, and an endless willingness for service.

As her time as an intern wraps up, and she returns to her studies at UCSC, we can’t help but express our gratitude for all that she has done, and we welcome our followers to celebrate her too! Thank you Princess for all that you do to support your community, and for being the wonderful person you are ♥️

08/24/2026

Support Homeless Garden Project by giving to our Impact Fund where every gift helps provide paid transitional employment for our trainees. Those wages are much more than compensation for work completed—they are an investment in dignity, confidence, and possibility.

In an article published by Lookout Santa Cruz, one of our recent graduates, Damien Camany, shared what the Homeless Garden Project meant to him:

"I am forever grateful to the HGP for providing me tools for personal growth and meaningful contribution as I transitioned from living a life on the street to a life of stability and belonging. It offered me – as it does each of its 25 annual trainees who learn to work on its organic farm – a chance to rediscover my worth and sense of self. " - Damien Camany from What the Homeless Garden Project taught me about belonging in Santa Cruz

The people who come to the Homeless Garden Project aren't looking for a handout. They're looking for an opportunity— to work, to contribute, to earn a paycheck, to rebuild their confidence, and an opportunity to become part of a community that sees them for who they are, not for the hardships they've experienced.

Click this post to support our program so we can continue to help individuals like Damien thrive!

Your donation supports trainees on their path to stable housing, employment, and building community Every gift to the Impact Fund helps provide paid transitional employment for our trainees. Those wages are much more than compensation for work completed—they are an investment in dignity, confidenc...

08/22/2026

Join us for our Sustain Supper on October 24th from 3-6:30PM for a farm-to-table dinner on our Natural Bridges Farm. Earlybird tickets are available now both online at https://bit.ly/OCT24sustainsupper and in our stores!

Celebrate with the community and support those experiencing homelessness by dining on a delicious meal featuring local produce sustainably sourced proteins while listening to inspiring speakers. While listening to live music, you can sip on local unique beverages and wine options and join us on a farm tour and more!

We are happy to welcome back to the Farm the team of Matthew Beaudin, Global Food Systems Strategist, as our keynote speaker and Chef Adam Young from the Monterey Bay Aquarium and LA Zoo who will be masterminding our dinner!

To learn more about our speaker, chef, and the event click here: https://bit.ly/OCT24sustainsupper

08/21/2026

Meet the Makers: Cecilia & Erick!

One of the things that makes our stores so special is getting to showcase products made by our trainees!

Cecilia and Erick have both created their own products, which are now available at our HGP stores. By giving trainees a space to sell their work, they get the opportunity to share their creativity, learn more about selling a product, and earn some extra income along the way.

We’re excited to celebrate Cecilia and Erick and all the work they put into creating something of their own. 💛

Stop by our Downtown Santa Cruz or Capitola Village store to check out their products and support our amazing trainees!

08/19/2026

How the magic happens! Every year, we produce over $150,000 worth of flowers, herbs, vegetables, and strawberries that get sold through our store and CSA, and donated to local non profits. People in our program find purpose, connection, and a path forward in life. Thank you to all of you for supporting what we do!

We are open SIX DAYS A WEEK every week from 10-4 (closed Mondays) at our farm stand for Upick strawberries and more! Come see us on Shaffer Rd in Santa Cruz!

08/13/2026

What a beautiful day of connection and resources! We were honored to host a Resource Fair bringing together some incredible organizations serving Santa Cruz County:

Second Harvest Food Bank
Cabrillo College
Community Action Board (CAB)
County of Santa Cruz Office of Adult Education
Public Defender's Office
Front St. Housing Inc.
Sobriety Works

People had the chance to connect 1-on-1 with these resources, asking questions and learning more about what's available to them.

But the magic didn't stop there. These organizations, who don't always get the chance to connect with each other, came together in the healing, grounding space of the Farm: building bridges across our community that will ripple far beyond today.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to be there!