Veterans News

Nourishing Community Through Communal Gardens

Last year, members of Fremont, Calif., Lodge No. 2121 used a grant to build raised gardens beds and plant fruit trees at a supportive housing complex for formerly-homeless veterans. When the volunteers first teamed up with the staff at Abode Services, their goal was to provide healthy food for the low-income residents. In the end, the project ended up meeting needs far beyond nutrition.

The project was led by Jo Ann and Steve Kay, who enjoy gardening at home. The pair was able to share their skills with the veterans living at Abode Services. “One of the things that I absolutely love doing is being out in the backyard tinkering around, get a hankering for a piece of fruit, and walk over to my own tree and pick it and eat it,” says Steve. “It doesn’t get any better than that.”

It turns out that the volunteers’ passion for homegrown food is infectious. On planting day, Lodge members made multiple trips to Home Depot to track down special seed requests from veterans: green tomatoes, habanero peppers, strawberries. Today, the veterans enjoy making salads with the lettuce they grow themselves and have taken ownership over nurturing the gardens.

In Jo Ann’s words, “We had a couple of veterans that became the bosses of the garden, and we just went, ‘Okay! Great!’” The residents are in charge but have backup when they need it. Steve makes occasional visits to Abode to keep the crops healthy, such as helping the veterans tend to some plants that had been overwatered.

Volunteers have watched the veterans grow in confidence and take pride in the fruits of their labor. Many of the residents were apprehensive at first, but once they got the hang of gardening, they were hooked. “They’re out there. They’re tinkering, they’re watering, they’re watching the peppers grow,” says Steve. “It’s something they can call their own.”

By building garden beds, the volunteers helped plant the seeds of community. When one veteran spoke of her love for fried green tomatoes, other residents got excited and began making plans to cook up a batch to share. Over time, the connections formed while gardening developed into something more. The residents took it upon themselves to plan an Easter celebration in the building’s community room. Aisha, the Resident Services Coordinator, was amazed to see the residents proactively reaching out and choosing to spend time together.

Looking ahead, Jo Ann, Steve, and the many committed volunteers from the Fremont Lodge are continuing to focus on social connection. This year, they will use grant funds to host veterans and their young children for a social outing to attend a baseball game. They also plan to purchase large grills for the property so that residents can fulfill their goal of making a big brisket together.

“They have fought for our country and been dealt a difficult set of cards right now,” Jo Ann reflects. “For those of us who’ve been fortunate, it’s great to give back.”

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