Tag Archives: H.O.P.E. Gardens

Growing Hope: H.O.P.E. Gardens provides essential food and resources for Wyoming families

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Growing Dreams: A New Community Garden for Families & Neighbors (Video courtesy of H.O.P.E. Gardens)


By AnchorPoint Christian School Youth Contributors


AnchorPoint students help plant garlic in the new garden (Courtesy, Kim Omanchi APCS)

H.O.P.E. Gardens stands for Help Other People Eat. Located in Grand Rapids, H.O.P.E. Gardens is dedicated to making a positive change in local communities by helping families and individuals grow their own food.

Teaching community members how to cultivate fresh and sustainable food resources gives individuals and families better access to nutritious and affordable food.

Originally founded in 2004 by Byron Center resident Gary Lemke, H.O.P.E. Gardens has since expanded to educate Wyoming organizations and other local communities on the importance of sustainable food resources.

Family Network of Wyoming (FNW) has partnered with H.O.P.E. Gardens to provide that resource for local families.

“When we have gardens, and when we have access to fresh fruits and vegetables, it helps impact health,” said Javonte Tubbs, Executive Director at Family Network of Wyoming.

“If you eat healthy fruits and vegetables all day, you’re going to be in great health. Fresh fruits and vegetables have a lot of nutrients and vitamins and good things for your body.”

Realizing a dream, meeting a need

AnchorPoint Christian School – in collaboration with FNW, H.O.P.E. Gardens Executive Director Julie Brunson, and Express Employment Professionals & Specialized Recruiting Group of Grand Rapids owner Janis Petrini – recently helped install a no-till nature-based garden in Wyoming.

(Courtesy, Kim Omanchi APCS)

This garden came to fruition as a way to honor Theresa Drost, a valued employee of Express Pros who recently passed away.

“Theresa’s passion was having a garden and a beautification place around the garden,” said Tubbs. “Janis and Julie got together to find a location to have a garden in memory of Theresa. Family Network of Wyoming had the space and wanted to do a garden as well. It was a perfect partnership.”

That dream was realized as AnchorPoint students prepared the land to begin a new garden where local families will come together to grow food and community.

(Courtesy, Kim Omanchi APCS)

“The Kent County Needs Assessment states that one out of six adults experiences food insecurity,” said Tubbs. “That means we need more community gardens, we need more access to healthy fruits and vegetables. Pantries and gardens are places that provide that access.”

Tubbs says there will be people from the community who come to help plant the food, and who will also receive some of that food for their families. And Tubbs plans to join in the fun.

“I love to help,” Tubbs said. “What makes people want to help is a sense of community, a sense of togetherness.”

Butterfly gardens and toad houses – both excellent contributors to the environment – can also be found at H.O.P.E. Gardens.

A willingness to help

Tubbs joined FNW in October of 2023 and said he enjoys both the people and the work.

(Courtesy, Kim Omanchi APCS)

“I like Julie and H.O.P.E. Gardens because they have a passion to connect people with healthy fruit and vegetables,” said Tubbs.

“My favorite part of working at Family Network is the volunteers,” Tubbs continued. “Their passion to help, their willingness to be there, to be present, and to be there with smiles. There is a lot of great energy there; everybody is willing to help.”

Growing food…and passion!

H.O.P.E. Gardens is making a change that begins with our youth and fostering a passion for growing food through interactive, eco-friendly learning experiences.

That passion is evident in the students at AnchorPoint. These local students will continue helping with the FNW garden by planting seeds in the spring and participating in the harvest.

(Courtesy, Kim Omanchi APCS)

Resource links

For more information about H.O.P.E. Gardens, visit hopegardensgr.org. To learn more about the Family Network of Wyoming, visit fntw.org.

*View the “Growing Dreams” garden photo gallery below, courtesy of Kim Omanchi, APCS:

  • AnchorPoint students are welcomed and receive instruction on how to begin the new garden (Courtesy, Kim Omanchi APCS)
  • Students begin laying the foundation for the garden (Courtesy, Kim Omanchi APCS)
  • (Courtesy, Kim Omanchi APCS)
  • (Courtesy, Kim Omanchi APCS)
  • (Courtesy, Kim Omanchi APCS)
  • (Courtesy, Kim Omanchi APCS)
  • (Courtesy, Kim Omanchi APCS)
  • (Courtesy, Kim Omanchi APCS)
  • (Courtesy, Kim Omanchi APCS)
  • Students receive instruction on how to plant garlic (Courtesy, Kim Omanchi APCS)
  • Students plant garlic in the new garden (Courtesy, Kim Omanchi APCS)
  • Students plant garlic in the new garden (Courtesy, Kim Omanchi APCS)
  • Students enjoyed donuts after their hard work (Courtesy, Kim Omanchi APCS)

Contributors

This article was written and produced by the 3rd-4th grade students of Wyoming’s AnchorPoint Christian School under the direction of Team 2 teacher Kim Omanchi.

Team 2: Henry Bloomer, Elijah Ducher, Henrik Gagnon, Leonard Gagnon, Jaxon Glas, Logan Henderson, Toby Lehnen, Alan Perez, Nathan Simeon, Joseph Vasquez and Kareen Zuiderveen

School News Network: A place to grow and harvest

3-bottom, City of Wyoming, ,
Second graders Doreen Umumararungu and Zenobia Henigan munch bell peppers. (School News Network)

By Bridie Bereza
School News Network

Between the corridors of West Godwin Elementary is a courtyard area. Last spring, it was all pavement and grass. Now, it’s brimming with sunflowers, zucchini, watermelons, carrots, and cucumbers.

The new garden is a collaboration between West Godwin’s T.E.A.M. 21 after school program and H.O.P.E. Gardens, a Wyoming-based nonprofit that teaches students in grades K-12 about sustainable ways to grow food while “Helping Other People Eat,” which is what the name stands for.

First grader A’Sahra Kanjia explores the garden. (School News Network)

Ellen Veenkant is the site coordinator for the building’s T.E.A.M. 21 program. Last April, she received a grant from the Michigan Community Service Council to plant the garden.

On their first visit to the garden, students had the opportunity to harvest two items to take home.

“My favorite food was the watermelon. It was juicy,” said first grader Aixi Medina-Mati. “I like that we get to plant veggies and fruit. I liked eating the basil leaves too. It’s important to have a garden so we can get flowers and food.”

“Who wants to sample some cucumbers?” Julie Brunson asked students.

“Meeeeeeee!” answered a chorus of first, second, and third graders.

Julie and her husband, Rich Brunson, visit the school every other week and work with students to maintain the garden. The Brunsons founded H.O.P.E. Gardens to fulfill an idea dreamed up by Rich, who had experienced homelessness and hunger as a teen in the Wyoming area.

Second grader Andy Valenzuela samples the harvest. (School News Network)

The couple work alongside students, teaching them about sunflowers, encouraging them to chew mint leaves, and showing them what’s ripe for the picking.

Julie said that besides the obvious benefits of teaching students to garden and providing fresh produce, there is another plus to a garden at school: working in the dirt is good for you, and can uplift your mood. Students don’t always realize it, she said, but this is their happy place.

The Brunsons want students to take ownership of the space. Julie makes a habit of starting discussions by asking students, ‘Whose garden is this?”

“Our garden!” is the answer.

While H.O.P.E. Gardens is doing similar work in other districts, this garden is the first of its kind in Godwin Heights Public Schools.

For more stories on local schools, visit schoolnewsnetwork.org.