Introducing Our New Garden Managers

We are thrilled to welcome long-time volunteers Betty and Brian Van Til to the Streams of Hope team as our new community garden managers.

When Betty stopped working full-time in March, she knew she wanted to spend her retirement gardening and volunteering with kids. She initially reached out to us to inquire about a plot of land in the community garden, but we thought her and her husband would make the perfect garden managers. We offered them the position and they accepted! “We had the time, we had the passion, so we took on the responsibilities,” Betty explained.

Since Betty and Brian have joined us they have been such a blessing for the Streams of Hope family. Betty has been able to marry her two passions, gardening and working with kids, by teaching local kids about green spaces and sustainable living. She has invited students from Urban Family Ministries to come ever other week and help tend and learn about the plants. They really enjoy helping in the garden space and trying some new fruits and vegetables!

Additionally, Betty cites the palatable sense of community as a huge source of joy in her work: “It’s amazing to walk around the plot and see the diversity of food culture and see the pride the gardeners take in their garden. At the end of harvest, if someone has more food than they need, they share it with the other gardeners.”

Betty is thrilled with the progress of the community garden and hopes to expand the garden to empower more individuals to grow their own food and attain food independence.

There are only two more plots left at the garden so we highly encourage anybody who is interested to join as soon as possible! All you need is a passion for gardening, and we provide the rest!

Learn more about the community garden here and apply to join by filling out this form.