Valley Verde

• Who we are: Valley Verde is a non-profit doing our part by providing vulnerable families with all the resources, knowledge and support they need for a year round, organic vegetable garden 
• What we do: we give participants the raised beds, the soil and compost, the seedlings and seeds needed for a year round vegetable production. We provide free monthly classes in nutrition and gardening. we coordinate support visits by a master garden mentor. 
• Why we do what we do? we are committed to increase access to healthy organic food to families in need, while creating life long gardening skill.

 

Valley Verde is currently working on the following projects: 

Home Garden Project

• Valley Verde’s Home Gardening project provides hands-on support to 60 low-income families each year to establish organic home gardens that can provide sufficient harvests to impact the amount of fresh vegetables those families eat each day. In addition to receiving supplies, families also receive free classes in organic gardening and healthy nutrition and are visited by staff and volunteer garden mentors who provide families with garden assessments and growing tips.  Over the last three years, almost 400 gardens beds and garden kits were built and installed to over 200 families in Gilroy and San Jose. We maintain contact with all the families in our program and follow-up with their progress. Our program is not only to provide a garden for the family, but also build a community where all participants feel welcome and befriend one another.

Deep Roots Project

• Throughout the new Deep Roots project we recruit and train Valley Verde home gardeners alumni to become mentors for the next generation of Valley Verde participants, so they can share their knowledge and skills and strengthen the gardening community. Valley Verde hopes this mentoring program will create more successful home organic gardens and help all participants develop an understanding of nutrition issues, environmental justice, and an improved quality of life for their families and communities.

Seedlings to Table (also known as SuperJardineros Project)

• Through this new program Valley Verde is creating a network of home nurseries that will supply organic and culturally significant vegetable seedlings for their own gardens and for the rest of Silicon Valley residents. The project will provide entrepreneurial opportunities, while increasing access to healthy food in low income neighborhoods.