This article was written by Melody Hanatani
SUNSET PARK - There's a hearty vegetable garden in Greg Fuller's backyard with seemingly enough vegetables to fill the produce section of a small grocery store, teeming with zucchini, corn and tomatoes.
Tending to the small farm is a team of men and women who come without fail every Tuesday and Saturday morning for about three hours, pulling weeds, tilling the soil, and taking some of the ready-to-eat crop at the end of the day.
The gardeners are clients of OPCC's Safe Haven, a shelter that serves the needs of chronically homeless individuals who live with mental illnesses, and for the past year, they have sought solace and purpose in a blooming plot of land on Cedar Street.
"The garden is very therapeutic to me and the rest of my members," said Felix Garcia, a Safe Haven resident who not only serves as the team leader, but also the shelter's chef, using the garden's vegetables in his menu.
To read the full article, please visit Gardening for The Soul - Santa Monica Daily Press.
SUNSET PARK - There's a hearty vegetable garden in Greg Fuller's backyard with seemingly enough vegetables to fill the produce section of a small grocery store, teeming with zucchini, corn and tomatoes.
Tending to the small farm is a team of men and women who come without fail every Tuesday and Saturday morning for about three hours, pulling weeds, tilling the soil, and taking some of the ready-to-eat crop at the end of the day.
The gardeners are clients of OPCC's Safe Haven, a shelter that serves the needs of chronically homeless individuals who live with mental illnesses, and for the past year, they have sought solace and purpose in a blooming plot of land on Cedar Street.
"The garden is very therapeutic to me and the rest of my members," said Felix Garcia, a Safe Haven resident who not only serves as the team leader, but also the shelter's chef, using the garden's vegetables in his menu.
To read the full article, please visit Gardening for The Soul - Santa Monica Daily Press.
