07/24/2025
With pockets full of seeds and dirt on our hands, it is with heavy hearts we regret to share that this will be our final summer of programming.
12 years ago Hands-On Personal Empowerment, a.k.a. HOPE Garden Project, began its mission in Mason County. Through garden-based education, our organization has responded to the health and needs of our youth in Shelton. We have taught gardening skills, trauma-informed and decolonized nutrition, food sovereignty, culinary literacy, social-emotional wellness, social justice, community care, land stewardship, communication skills, how to become the person you wish to be, and so much more. We’ve song and danced with littles at Evergreen Elementary, cooked nutrient-dense and budget friendly snacks with CHOICE’s Pathways Program, built gardens with our middle school friends, and come together every summer with our high school Older Youth Employment Program to provide job training skills through gardening, cooking, and so many games. (Continued in comments)
