Wasatch Community Gardens

The mission of Wasatch Community Gardens (WCG) is to empower people of all ages and incomes to grow and eat healthy, organic, local food. Since 1989, WCG has served Salt Lake County with a vision of an inclusive, robust, and vibrant community that is nourished by healthy and affordable food. WCG is a respected resource for organic vegetable gardening along the Wasatch Front. We are an effective, mid-sized nonprofit that is grounded in the community at the neighborhood level. We pride ourselves in being nimble, approachable, and accessible to all.

Our programming is effective largely because of the strong community partnerships we have developed over the years. This includes partnerships with Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, the Salt Lake City School District, and more than 50 community nonprofits and social service agencies. We have also developed a vast and dedicated volunteer base. In 2017, 1,292 volunteers contributed 14,436 hours of service to WCG. This included teaching workshops, helping with events, and assisting with ongoing garden maintenance and larger garden infrastructure projects.

Community Garden Program: WCG helps community members grow their own organic produce by providing garden space, resources, and education. We manage 16 community gardens in Salt Lake County. In 2017, 445 individuals and families (the majority of which are low- to moderate-income) had a plot in one of our gardens. We also provide leadership training and garden materials to independent garden projects through our Garden Leadership Network.

Youth Garden Program: Through weekly classes, summer camps, and field trips in our two youth teaching gardens, WCG encourages youth ages 4-12 to make healthier food choices and become more physically active by teaching them hands-on gardening, nutrition, and food preparation skills. In 2017, these programs served 1,172 youth, with 46% of our Youth Garden Club participants coming from households with low-to-moderate incomes.

School Garden Program: Through a partnership with the Salt Lake School District, WCG empowers teachers, administrators, and students at Title I elementary schools with the tools, skills, and experience they need to successfully utilize and benefit from their school gardens. In 2017, we worked with eight schools, making it possible for 3,466 students to benefit from their school gardens. We worked directly with 1,797 of these students to grow and eat fresh produce from the garden.

Green Team Farm Project: A partnership with Advantage Services and The Downtown Alliance, this program provides employment and job training skills to a group of 8-10 women facing homelessness. The 1.3-acre farm is located in Salt Lake’s Depot District, on land provided by Salt Lake’s Redevelopment Agency. The farm is 100% solar powered and serves as a demonstration site for regenerative agriculture and permaculture techniques.

Community Education Program: Since its early days, WCG has offered educational workshops to teach community members about growing and eating fresh, healthy food. WCG started a formalized Community Education Program in 2009 and now offers approximately 40 workshops each year serving over 500 community members to meet the community’s growing demand for learning how to grow and prepare fresh, healthy food.

WCG also hosts a number of community events each year, including our popular spring Plant Sale, the largest fundraiser of the year for WCG; the Tomato Sandwich Party, featuring free heirloom tomato sandwiches prepared by WCG staff and volunteers; and the Urban Garden and Farm Tour, a self-guided tour of backyard gardens, chicken coops, and other urban farming demonstrations throughout Salt Lake County.