Like most organizations, H.O.P.E. Gardens had to adjust to changes brought on by Covid-19. When we learned that some schools were going fully remote and outside organizations were restricted from offering their programs in person, we had a decision to make: could we adapt to this new challenge or should we wait out the storm?...

In August, H.O.P.E. Gardens and the YMCA of Greater Grand Rapids were awarded a USDA Farm-to-School grant. This competitive award is granted on an annual basis to organizations that support planning, developing, and implementing farm-to-school programs.  H.O.P.E. Gardens will use part of this grant to install a new fence for Wyoming Regional Center, a program...

The state-wide closing of schools last March due to COVID-19 presented us with a challenge: How could we involve students in school garden planting when we were not able to work together in person? We also wanted to support students and families while under the stay-at-home order, so we decided that if the students couldn’t...

We have had to make a lot of changes and adapt the way we offer our school programs due to COVID-19. This summer we were not able to meet in person with our summer garden programs but we provided pea seed cups, growing instructions & journals for kids to grow at home. This fall, all...