Supported by the city, Mission Hospital, San Clemente Green and others, the garden will be a hybrid between a personal garden for the shelter and a garden that is shared with the neighborhood. San Clemente residents of all ages—especially from the Los Mares district, where the garden will be located—are encouraged to come on the property and share in both tending the garden and eating the produce.
“In San Clemente we couldn’t find anywhere we could grow plants,” said Chris McCormack, who is helping to organize the effort. “There was never any room. This garden will allow people who do not currently have the ability to garden to grow local, organic foods that are good for you.”
The garden will be used for any type of produce the gardeners want, like beans, tomatoes, chilies, squash, but all grown goods will be organic. The basic idea is to plant and harvest locally grown, fresh fruits and vegetables by season. With planter boxes for annuals, an orchard area with fruit trees and an herb garden, the options will be plentiful.
“Edible gardening has the power to strengthen relationships between city residents,” project volunteer James Dockstader said. “This garden is not just for Henderson House. It will better the whole neighborhood. It will build community.”
As a community garden, the produce will be available to the neighborhood for free. Anyone who desires will be able to take, or to leave, produce in a drop box.
“The idea is mostly to help people re-connect with nature, eat good, wholesome foods, and develop a deeper appreciation for where food comes from,” said Gary Headrick, an organizer to the project and co-founder of San Clemente Green, a non-profit citizens group dedicated to making San Clemente a sustainable city.
Henderson House, too, is a non-profit organization that provides transitional housing and support services for homeless single adults. As a throughway for the community that sees a lot of traffic—a walkway cuts through the site the garden will be located on—the location is ideal.
“It’s not a hidden space,” said Denise Obrero, the city’s CDBG grants manager and housing specialist. “People will automatically participate in it and give input because they walk through there every day.”
Headrick notes that the garden will be in an area where people could benefit from quality produce and reduced food cost. Henderson House is also in a “vulnerable” locale; there have been incidents of gang activity and violence.
“The community is associated with gang violence and overcrowding,” Obrero said. “Kids are running amok and have nothing to do. A lot of people in the community see the area as very negative.”
Organizers hope a garden will help turn this around.
While open to any community member, the garden will particularly target low-income families.
“Many community gardens are in low income neighborhoods and they thrive in areas like that,” McCormack said.
Health concerns also top the list. “Many Henderson House residents find it more convenient to purchase food from a dollar menu at a fast food restaurant than to prepare a healthy meal made with fruits and vegetables,” said Rick Scott, program manager at Henderson House. “Our goal is for our residents to incorporate the produce into their daily diets.”
The residents at Henderson House are excited about the program. “I would love to tend the garden,” said Trina Magnusson, a Henderson House resident. “Any fruits and veggies we get out of it is a plus, not just for me but for the community.”
Having a strong interest in environmental science and a love of nature and gardening, she anticipates the satisfaction of seeing the produce grow.
“I’d like to see the plot of land become productive,” Magnusson said. “Right now it is a lot of weeds and bunnies running around. I hope it is aesthetically beautiful, yields something for the community, and is useful.”
The garden will definitely require funds—both for maintenance and for its initial kick-start. As part of the hospital’s priority to support access to healthy foods and address child obesity, Mission Hospital will help fund the project with a $2,000 grant.
“The mission of our organization is to improve the health and quality of life of our community,” said Christy Cornwall, director of community benefits at Mission. “This project is one way to support doing that.”
Other supporters include Chris Garcia from Organics Out Back, Eric Sykes from Sykes Organic Solutions, Imperial Irrigation, Plant Depot and Tree of Life Nursery. In the near future, the team intends to partner with Thump Gallery, Rainbow Sandals and Hapa Js Kitchen Bar & Lounge on future fundraising events.
COR, a faith-based organization that works for gang prevention across Orange County, will also join the effort. Rose Velasquez, the liaison for the residents and the garden, who works with the Los Mares community, is building relationships in the area to help make the project take off.
“(I hope) that it will bring peace to the neighborhood and much needed positive activity for children and youth,” said Velasquez, who also works as OCHR Human Relations Specialist, which works with COR.
Community members can get involved by donating supplies, working to get other gardens off the ground and, of course, tending the garden and enjoying all the fresh fruits and veggies.
On Dec. 17, from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., the garden will be open to the public in a kickoff celebration at 676 Camino de Los Mares. The community is also invited to the city’s annual La Posada Event, a traditional Christmas candlelit procession, which follows the garden party and starts at 6 p.m. in the cul de sac of Calle Canasta. For more information, please call Marcela Perez at 949.842.5236.
If you are interested in helping with the effort at Henderson House or other locations, contact Gary Headrick at gary@sanclementegreen.org or 949.218.4051, or contact Denise Obrero at 949.361.6188 or ObreroD@san-clemente.org.
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