URI Master Gardeners Plant Seeds Of Hope For Warwick Homeless

KINGSTON, RI — Residents of Warwick's House of Hope homeless shelter will have access to healthy, fresh food this summer thanks to the University of Rhode Island's Master Gardeners. A garden filled with vegetables and herbs has been planted on the house's grounds, offering residents both a source of food and a source of enjoyment.

Master Gardeners Kate Aubin and Stephanie Trabucco, both from Cranston, helmed the project.

"It’s a place where they can just go out and be in a calming, quiet, safe space, get their hands dirty if they want, and smell the flowers," Aubin told URI Today. "Once we get them more involved, they’ll feel a sense of pride in seeing what they’ve grown."

One of House of Hope's case managers, Jackie Mercado, was so inspired by the project that she applied to become a master gardener herself.

The House of Hope's gardens include a wheelchair-accessible raised bed as well as four traditional beds, each four by eight feet. While the house has received produce donations from the Master Gardeners in the past, Aubin and Trabucco said having an on-site garden helps the residents connect with the food and growing process.

'In previous years, the residents were happy to get whatever we planted, but they weren’t necessarily sure what to do with it," Trabucco said. "This year we’re helping them learn what the food is, how you pick it, how you cook it, and how you store it. We’re getting them involved in the whole process of the circle of life of the food."

The garden was built by 20 Master Gardeners, and several are on-site each week to help maintain the plants.

On Saturday, July 14, the organization will hold a free gardening demonstration event at the House of Hope at 69 Fair St. in Warwick from 10 to 11 a.m. The event is free and open to the public, and no prior registration is required.

Read more at URI Today.