Since 2011, GrowGood has been working with the Salvation Army to develop a garden-based program for the residents of the Bell Shelter that uses healthy food and gardening as a catalyst for healing.

We provide the Salvation Army’s Bell Homeless Shelter residents with Food, Therapy, and Jobs

Farm to Table: Growing Farm Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

The heart of GrowGood is its 1.5 acre-farm. Located across the street from the Bell Shelter, the farm is a source of produce - as fresh as it gets - for the people who live at the shelter.  We deliver thousands of pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables every year to the Shelter’s kitchen. We use no chemical additives on our no-till farm.  Every year we strive to grow more food for the Shelter, and we have.  Our increased output is the result of hard work from our staff, years of soil rehabilitation paying off, and systematizing our growing and harvesting calendar.

The farm currently consists of an orchard of 71 fruit trees, 14 raised vegetable garden beds, a 1/2-acre area of in-round row crops, a 30' x 48' commercial greenhouse, and a California native plant garden filled with over 300 flowering, drought-tolerant plants. GrowGood’s vegetable growing areas and trees are all connected to a state-of-the-art Netafim drip irrigation system.

The farm serves more purposes than just serving food. The farm is also a place for shelter clients to work and to find a peaceful respite. For the larger community, it is a place to connect to the land, learn how food is grown, and learn how compost is created and used.

​

Food for Life classes are held once per week in GrowGoods’ California native plant sensory garden and designed to cultivate healthy living habits that support physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.

​

Our clients, many of them veterans, come to us through The Salvation Army Bell Shelter Wellness Program, a residential treatment center for addiction recovery and various mental health conditions, including PTSD.  Both yoga and meditation, as well as spending time in nature have been shown to reduce stress and anxiety, lower blood pressure, promote better sleep, improve mental clarity and lower one's risk of depression.

The program was created by Jayne Torres, GrowGood’s first employee. Currently, Samantha Feinerman leads the sessions along with instructors Amanda Hamm and Paige Heston.