Historia de los jardines comunitarios: la experiencia de una familia (Faith Mission Graber House)

Cucumbers, tomatoes, and peppers aren’t the only things growing this summer. Stronger family bonds and healthy habits are also in bloom thanks to a grant that helped the establishment of 17 Goshen Health community gardens.

In 2023, Goshen Health launched the first mobile garden project with grant funding from the Indiana Department of Health to increase access to healthy foods in vulnerable areas. They started with seven participating organizations in 2023 and this year, they increased it to 17. Through the grant funding, Goshen Health provided garden carts, tools, pots, plants and other supplies at no cost to the participants.

One of the gardens, located at the newly renovated Faith Mission apartments in Elkhart, also known as, “The Graber House,” is helping one family become more aware of the little space needed to grow their own food.

“Having the [smart] pots is different. I love it because it doesn’t take up a lot of space... it goes to show how you can grow vegetables in small spaces,” said Katrina Ulery, who is one of the residents at the Graber House. Katrina lives with her two children, Amilia (11) and Joey (14) and is working hard at turning her life around. When she and her two children moved into their apartment unit in March of 2024, she was excited to learn she would have a garden to take care of. “I love taking care of plants. I grew up in the country and gardening.”

Katrina is already coming up with harvest ideas. “I’m looking forward to harvesting all the veggies but especially the tomatoes so I can make some salsas and stir fry some bell peppers with my kids.” Her daughter Amelia also has some ideas, “My favorite vegetables are cucumbers and corn. I want to make my own pickles when the cucumbers are ready.”

Paula Maccarone is the Program Director and Case Manager at the Faith Mission Graber House. She says she has seen the way the families participating in the garden project have grown closer to one another and it has also given the families a way to briefly forget about their worries.

“Having a garden has been like a common ground for all. There is no hierarchy—just kids and people coming together to take care of the garden. They’re creating memories… I hear Katrina laughing with her kids and have heard her talk to her friends about how exciting it is to have a garden here.”

Paula adds that for Katrina, the garden has been more than a reminder of better nutrition choices. It serves as reminder of self-care.

“Katrina is actively involved in a program that focuses on the mental, emotional, and personal needs to create a healthier lifestyle for her and her family and she is well on her way to doing that. She is a hard worker, she is a manager at her employer, she’s putting a lot of effort into her life and the garden has become her peace of mind that helps slow things down; it’s a zone where self-care is at the forefront.”

Since the launch of the Goshen Health community gardens in 2023, more than 500 adults and children have been positively impacted by the gardens.