Cultivating Relationships. Harvesting Community.
Have you ever tasted anything more delicious than fruit and vegetables fresh from the garden? Recently, on a tour with some new friends through Community First! Village, I noticed our mulberry tree growing in Genesis Gardens was bursting with berries. I stopped, picked some to share with my friends, and gave them a taste of the goodness cultivated and harvested here all year long. Genesis Gardens is at the heart of Community First! Village.
Before we built one home on this property, we prepared the gardens. Future neighbors, volunteers and staff members worked together to nurture this land and each other. Through the gardens, they cultivated not only a bountiful harvest to share, but more importantly, a caring community in the place our friends experiencing homelessness would soon call home.
Housing alone will never solve homelessness, but community will!
With your support, this plot of land has become home and community for those men and women who were once struggling to survive on the streets of Austin. Our Genesis Gardens program has flourished through the years and remains fundamental for those transitioning out of homelessness.
Our farm provides fresh and nutritious food for our neighbors, as well as opportunities for them to earn a dignified income by working in the gardens or caring for the farm’s goats, chickens or even the colony of bees that live here.
“I’ve been volunteering for a couple of years. At first, I thought that pulling weeds and harvesting vegetables was what I was supposed to do. But the most important thing is interacting with the neighbors and building trust with each other.”
– Bruce, Genesis Gardens Volunteer
“We’re growing food and feeding people! We are a family, and we take care of each other.”
– Shea, Community First! Village neighbor
You are the Goodness that is Mobile Loaves & Fishes.
Each week, the bounty from the garden is washed, bunched, canned, pickled, preserved or cooked and prepared for meals. Neighbors gather at our free Farmer’s Market on Saturdays to select the fresh produce, eggs and herbs they need to fill their pantry. Having access to fresh, healthy food gives our neighbors better nutrition for their bodies and their souls — helping them to restore their lives.
You and I know that too many men and women are struggling to survive on the streets of Austin. These folks are our neighbors. They need a permanent home in a caring community, and they need you to make their way home to Community First! Village.
“I love harvesting and seeing everyone come out on a beautiful day to the Farmer’s Market.”
– Ellis, Community First! Village neighbor
