GEM Program Harvests Hope in Our Garden

As we slide toward winter, our gardens at New Beginnings Center continue to flourish with partnership from the GEM training program.

Integrated Community Services, also a local nonprofit, operates the program for adults with developmental disabilities who plant, harvest and tend produce that goes into meals for our shelter and housing programs.

Participants build workplace skills and confidence as they work Monday through Friday with GEM coaches alongside our garden supervisor and regular volunteers. Our site offers benefits like the a nearby bus stop and free lunch daily in our shelter dining room.

In our garden, the GEM team also tends flowers and other botanicals harvested for sale to Botnia Skincare, a Sausalito-based company. “Our harvest from GEM is always beautiful,” says Botnia founder Justine Kahn. “To make the products our way and also help the community makes me really happy.” Among the items that contain botanicals harvested at our site is Botnia’s Rose Geranium Hydrosol.

Their efforts transformed the summer courtyard with abundant colors from sunflowers, purple amaranth, marigolds and more. In the cooler season, the work has transitioned to leafy greens like kale and chard. Read more about this fruitful partnership in our Fall/Winter News.