Gardens Project

Growing Community, Nourishing Lives

The Gardens Project of North Coast Opportunities is dedicated to combating hunger and elevating nutrition in Mendocino and Lake Counties by expanding access to fresh, local, and nutritious food through community-based gardening.

We collaborate with local governments and private landowners to transform underutilized land near low-income neighborhoods into thriving community gardens. These spaces serve as hubs for:

Access
Creating opportunities for residents to grow their own food and enjoy the benefits of fresh, healthy produce.

Education
Offering hands-on workshops in gardening, nutrition, and sustainable food practices to empower individuals and families.

Empowerment
Supporting volunteer gardeners with leadership training and mentorship to help them manage and sustain their community garden spaces.

Together, we’re cultivating more than just gardens—we’re growing healthier communities.

Nationally, 1 in 7 Americans struggles to find access to fresh, healthy affordable food. In Mendocino County, 1 in 6 residents suffer from food scarcity, and in Lake County 1 in 5 residents also do not have enough to eat. People in Lake and Mendocino Counties experience hunger at higher rates than the national average because rural areas like ours have high unemployment rates, low-wage jobs, and lack of transportation to reliable food sources. 

We help people to E.A.T. by Empowering families to design and manage community gardens, creating Access to new land for food production, and Teaching all people in our community how to grow food.

Highlights of our work:

• Since our founding in 2007, The Gardens Project has established 55 successful community and school gardens.
• These gardens produce 28,470 pounds (more than 14 tons!) of produce, and provide vegetables to more than 3,000 people every year.
• Over 200 people attend our FREE workshops on food production and healthy eating in both Mendocino and Lake Counties each year. 
• Since 2011, we’ve trained more than 75 gardeners to become positive leaders in their communities to ensure effective management and sustainability of community gardens.